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SLANG *> 

ANALOGUES 

PAST AND PRESENT 

A DICTIONARY HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE OF THE 
HETERODOX SPEECH OF ALL CLASSES OF SOCIETY 

FOR MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED YEARS 



WITH SYNONYMS IN ENGLISH, FRENCH, GERMAN, 
ITALIAN, ETC. 



COMPILED AND EDITED BY 

JOHN S. FARMER & W. E. HENLEY 



VOL. VI. REA to STOZZLE. 

PRINTED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY 

MCMIII. 




v, 





E A C H E R , SUbs. 

(pugilistic). I. 
A blow delivered 
at long point. 

2. (colloquial). 
An exaggera- 
tion ; a STRET- 
CHER (q.v.) : see WHOPPER. 

1662. FULLER, Worthies, ii. 117. I 
can hardly believe that REACHER . . . 
that " with the palms of his hands he could 
touch his knees, though he stood upright." 

REACH-ME-DOWN, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). In pi. = second-hand or 
ready-made clothes : also HAND- 
ME-DOWNS : Fr. dtcrochez-moi-$a. 
Also as adi. 

1860. THACKERAY, Philip, xxiv. In 
the Palais Royal they hang out the most 
splendid REACH-ME-DOWN dressing-gowns, 
waistcoats, and so forth. 

1875. BESANT and RICE, Harp and 
Crown, xv. The capitalist who can afford 
two new pairs of second-hand machine- 
made REACH-ME-DOWNS in a single winter. 
Where is he, I say? 

1888. W. S. CAINE, Trip Round the 
World, xii. The gentlemen attire them- 
selves in ready-made REACH-ME-DOWNS of 
black cloth, shiny patent-leather shoes, 
and round pot-hats, 



READ. To READ BETWEEN THE 
LINES, verb. phr. (colloquial). 
To look into a milestone ; to 
quest for hidden meanings in 
plain English. 

1883. Gentlemari s Mag.,]vxM. They 
READ BETWEEN THE LINES, as they say, 
and find that two and two are intended to 
represent five. 

TO READ THE PAPER, verb. 

phr. (common). To take a nap : 
see Doss. 

READ-AND-WRITE, subs, (rhyming). 
Flight. Also, as verb. = to 
fight. 

READER, subs, (thieves'). I. A 
pocket-book; (2) a newspaper, 
letter, &c. Whence TO READ = 
to steal ; READER-HUNTER (or 
-MERCHANT) = a pickpocket, a 

DUMMY-HUNTER (q.V.)\ READ- 

ERED = advertised in the Police 
Gazette ; WANTED (g.v.). PAR- 
KER, GROSE, VAUX, BEE. 

c. 1819. Song, ' The Young Prig ' [FAR- 
MER, Musa Pedestris (1896), 82]. And I 
my READING learnt betime, From studying 
pocket-books, Sirs. 

1828. BEE, Picture of London, 286. 
For this purpose they had an old pocket- 
book, or READER now put into one pocket, 
now into another, 



Ready. 



Rear. 



1829. Vidocq's Memoirs, ' On the 
Prigging Lay' [FARMER, Musa Pedestris 
(1896), 107. I stops a bit : then toddled 
quicker, For I'd prigged his READER, 
drawn his ticker. 

1834. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, in. v. 
None knap a READER like me in the lay. 

1842. EGAN, ' Jack Flashman ' (in 
Capt. Macheath). Jack long was on the 
town, a teazer ; Could turn his fives to 
anything, Nap a READER, or filch a ring. 

1859. MATSELL, ' A Hundred 
Stretches Hence' \Vocabulum\. The 
bugs, the boungs, and well-filled READERS. 

READY (THE) (READY -STUFF, 
-JOHN, -GiLT,or READY-MONEY), 

subs. (old). i. Money : spec, 
money in hand (B. E. and 
GROSE). Hence READY THICK- 
'UN = a sovereign ; 2O/- : see 
RHINO. 

c.i6iB. WEBSTER and ROWLEY, Cure 
for a Cuckold, ii. 2. READY MONEY is the 
prize I look for. 

1688. SHADWELL, Sq. of Alsatia, i. 
Take up on the reversion, 'tis a lusty one ; 
and Cheatly will help you to THE READY. 

1712. ARBOTHNOT, History of John 
Bull, i. iii. He was not flush in READY, 
either to go to law or to clear old debts. 

1732. FIELDING, Covent Garden 
Tragedy, ii. i. Therefore, come down 
THE READY, or I go. Ibid. (1743), Jona- 
than Wild (1893), 28. Mr. Wild imme- 
diately conveyed the larger share of THE 
READY into his pocket. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, i. v. 
The notoriety [Logic] had obtained . . . 
for the Waste of READY in Hoyle's 
Dominions, was great indeed. 

1840. BARHAM, Ingold. Leg. (Mer- 
chant of Venice). While, as for THE 
READY, I'm like a Church-mouse, I really 
don't think there's five pounds in the 
house. 



2. (colloquial). Prepared. 
Hence, A GOOD READY = ON 

THE SPOT (q.v). 

1886. ^ ROOSEVELT, Hunting Trips, 
119. Patiently and noiselessly from the 
leeward . . . his rifle at THE READY. 



Verb, (racing). To pull a 
horse. 

1 886-96. MARSHALL, Nobbled 
['Pomes,' 114]. He made us all ... 
believe he could READY his chance. 

1889. Sporting Times, 29 June. So 
as not to let the favourite be READIED. 



REAL, adj. and adv. (originally 
American : now general). A 
superlative : very; quite ; really. 
Whence REAL FINE, GLAD, 
GOOD, &c. = very fine, glad, 
good, &c., indeed ; REAL JAM = 
an acme : see JAM ; REAL GRIT 
= ' sound to the core' : see GRIT ; 

THE REAL (or THE REAL THING) 

= the genuine article. 

c.i 830. American Humour, I. I 
reckon the chaplain was the REAL GRIT 
for a parson always doin' as he'd be done 
by, and practisin' a darn'd sight more than 
he preached. 

1841. THACKERAY, Men and Pic- 
tures, . . . Persons who make believe 
that they are handing you round tokay 
giving you THE REAL imperial Stuff. 

1872. C. D. WARNER, Blacklog 
Studies, 4. A cynic might suggest as the 
motto of modern life this simple legend 
' Just as good as THE REAL.' 

1879. JUSTIN M'CARTHY, Donna 
Quixote, xvii. But I do like her. I took 
to her from the first . . . REAL JAM, I 
call her. 

1885. Punch, 3 Jan., 4, 2. Without 
REAL JAM cash and kisses this world is 
a bitterish pill. 

REAM. See RUM. 



REAM -PEN NY, subs. phr. (old). 
Peter- pence (that is * Rome '- 
penny). To RECKON ONE'S 

REAM PENNIES = to Confess One's 

faults. 



REAR, subs. (University). A Jakes : 
also as verb. 



Rebec. 



Recruit. 



REBEC (or REBECK), subs, (old col- 
loquial). An old woman : in 
reproach : cf. RIBIBE. 

1383. CHAUCER, Cant. Tales, ' Friar's 
Tale,' 275. Herewoneth an old REBEKKE 
That hadde almost as lief to lese hire 
nekke As for to geve a peny of hir good. 

RECEIPT-OF-CUSTOM, subs. phr. 
(venery). The female pudendum ; 
theCustom's-house (' where Adam 
made the first entry ') : see MONO- 
SYLLABLE. Hence CUSTOM'S- 
HOUSE OFFICER = the penis 
(GROSE). 

RECEIVER -GENERAL, subs. phr. 
(old). i. A prostitute : J^TART. 

2. (pugilists'). A boxer giving 
nothing for what he gets. 

RECKER, THE (or REKKER), subs. 
(Harrow). The town recreation- 
ground. [Where the school 
sports are held.] 

RECKON, verb, (once literary: now 
American). To think ; to 
suppose ; to consider peculiar to 
the Middle and Southern States, 
and provincial [HALLIWELL] in 
England: cf. GUESS and CALCU- 
LATE. 

1611. Bible, Isaiah xxxviii. 13. I 
RECKONED [margin, R.V. = thought] till 
morning that as a lion, so will he break all 
my bones. Ibid., Rom. viii. 18. For I 
RECKON that the sufferings of this present 
time are not worthy, &c. 

^.1745. SWIFT, Nobles and Commons, 
v. I RECKON it will appear to many as a 
very unreasonable paradox. 

1776. FOOTE, Bankrupt, iii. What, 
you are a courtier, I RECKON ? 

1825. SCOTT, St. Roman's Well, x. 
I RECKON you'll be selling out the whole- 
it's needless making two bites of a cherry. 

1889. Century Diet. [American], s.v. 
RECKON, v. IT. 6. The use of RECKON in 
this sense [to hold a supposition or impres- 
sion] though regularly developed and found 
in good literature ... has by reason of 



its frequency in colloquial speech in some 
parts of the United States, especially in 
the South (where it occupies a place like 
that of ' guess ' in New England), come to 
be regarded as provincial or vulgar]. 

1892. GUNTER, Miss Dividend, Hi. 
RECKON your pap has had too much rail- 
road and mine on his hands to be able to 
even eat for the last month. 

To RECKON UP, verb phr. (col- 
loquial). To gauge a person ; TO 
MEASURE (q.v.) ; TO SIZE (q.v.). 
Hence, to slander ; to back-bite. 

1852. DICKENS, Bleak House, liv. 
447. Mr. Tulkinghorn employed me 
[Bucket, the detective] to RECKON UP her 
Ladyship. 

1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, 
j. 33. The officer spotted him directly, and 
if he could not RECKON HIM UP himself, 
would mark him for the attention of some- 
one else. 

See CHICKENS and HOST. 
RECKONING. See ACCOUNTS. 

RECORD. To BEAT (BREAK, CUT, 
LOWER, or SMASH) THE RECORD, 
verb phr. (colloquial : chiefly 
athletic). To surpass all previous 
performances, ' to go one BETTER ' 
(q.v.). 

RECORDITE, subs, (obsolete clerical). 
The Low Church Party of the 
Established Church. [Their organ 
was The Record.] 

1854. CONYBEARE, Church Parties, 
1 6. This exaggeration of Evangelicalism, 
sometimes called the Puritan, sometimes, 
from its chief organ, the RECORDITE party. 
Ibid. It is a popular delusion that the 
RECORD ITES are excluded from public 
amusements. 

RECREANT, subs, (old : now recog- 
nised).' A Poltron, or Coward, 
one that eats his Words, or un- 
saies what he said.' E.E.(c. 1696.) 

RECRUIT, subs. (Old Cant). -In pi. 
= money in prospect : e.g., HAVE 
YOU RAISED THE RECRUITS? = 



Rector. 



Red. 



* Has the money come in ? ' B. E. 
Whence (GROSE) RECRUITING 
SERVICE = * robbing on the high- 
way.' 



RECTOR, subs, (common). i. A 
poker kept for show : CURATE 
(q.v.) = the work-a-day iron ; (2) 
the bottom half of a tea-cake or 
muffin (as getting more butter), 
the top half being the CURATE, 
and so forth. 

RECTOR OF THE FEMALES, 
subs, phr. (venery). The penis : 
see PRICK. 

1647-80. ROCHESTER, Poems. Then 
pulling out the RECTOR OF THE FEMALES, 
Nine times he bath'd him in their piping 
tails. 

RED, subs, and adj. (thieves'). I. 
Gold : also RED-UN : Fr. j'aune 
( = yellow) ; Ital. rossume ( = 
redness). RED-ROGUE (old) = a 
gold piece ; RED-TOY (or KETTLE) 
= a gold watch ; RED-TACKLE = 
a gold chain. Cf. RUDDOCK. 
RED-UN also = a sovereign. 

1617. FLETCHER, Mad Lover, v. 4. 
There's a RED ROGUE, to buy thee handker- 
chiefs. 

Macm. Mag., xl. 502. I 
a RED TOV and RED TACKLE. 

1888. SIMS, Plank Bed Ballad 
\Refcrte, 12 Feb.]. A toy and a tackle- 
both RED-'UNS. 

c.i886. Sporting Times [S. J. and C.]. 
"There's a RED-'UN or in other words ' a 
quid.'" 

1901. D. Telegraph, 14 May, n, 5. 
You have got a fine RED-'UN. Ibid. You 
just now alluded to your watch as a RED- 
'UN. Cooper : I did. And then you ex- 
plained that "RED-'UN" was thieves' slang. 
So it is. 

2. (common). Variously ap- 
plied to objects red in colour : as 
(i) a RED HERRING (q.v.) ; (2) in 
pi., the menses : whence RED-RAG 
= the menstrual cloth ; TO FLASH 



ichecPfbr 



THE RED RAG = to have one's 
courses ; (3) in pi. = blushes : 

also REET-RAG, whence TO MOUNT 
THE RED RAG (or FLAG) = to 

blush ; (4) a Red Republican : 
spec. (France '93) a violent revo- 
lutionary of the established order. 
See also ADMIRAL, RED-CENT, 
and RED-COAT. 

COMBINATIONS are numerous 
The RED- ACE (or C) = the 
female pudendum : see MONO- 
SYLLABLE ; RED-BOOK = a book 
of the officers of State or the 
Peerage : cf. BLUE-BOOK ; RED- 
BREAST = a Bow-St. runner (they 
wore red waistcoats) ; also see 
infra ; RED-CENT (see quot. 1889, 
NARY and NICKEL) ; RED-COAT 
= a soldier : also THE REDS ; 
RED-COCK = an incendiary fire ; 
RED-CROSS (see quot. 1626) ; RED- 
DOG (see SHINPLASTER) ; RED- 
EEL = a term of contempt ; RED- 
EYE (or RED - HEAD) = fiery 
whiskey ; RED - EYE SOUR = 
whiskey and lemon ; RED-FLAN- 
NEL = the tongue : see RAG, 2 ; 

RED - FUSTIAN = (i) port, (2) 

claret (B. E. and GROSE), and (3) 
porter : also RED-TAPE ; RED- 
GRATE (see RED-LATTICE) ; RED- 
HEAD = a red-haired person, a 

CARROTS (q.V.)', RED-HERRING 

= a soldier : cf. soLDlER^a red- 
herring ; RED-HORSE = a native 
of Kentucky; RED-HOT (adj.) = 
violent, extreme : RED-LETTER 
DAY = (i) a Church festival 
(printed in red characters in the 
Calendar) : hence (2) a happy day 
or lucky occasion (GBOSE) : 
whence RED-LETTER MAN = a 
Roman Catholic (B. E. and 
GROSE) ; RED-LINER (see quot. 
1851) ; RED-PETTICOAT {see 
quot. 1670) ; RED-RAG (see RAG 
and RED), and (2) = a source of 
annoyance or disgust : usually * a 



Red. 



Red. 



RED-RAG to a mad-bull ' ; RED- 
RIBBON = brandy (GROSE) : cf. 

WHITE-SATIN ; RED-SAIL DOCKER 

= a buyer of stores stolen out of 
the royal yards and docks 
(GROSE) ; RED-SKIN = a North 
American Indian. 

.1485. Lady Bessy (Queen of Henry 
VII.) [Percy Soc. Pub. xx.]. [OLIPHANT, 
New Eng., i. 396. We now first hear of 
READE COATES, Lord Stanley's soldiers ; a 
well-known word in Cromwell's day, 130 
years later]. 

1626. SMITH, Treatise on English 
Sta Terms [ARBER], 262. [OLIPHANT, 
New English, ii. 66. An English ship is 
called a RED CROSSE]. 

1662. Rump Songs, ii. 5. Our Po- 
litique Doctors do us teach, That a Blood- 
snarling RED-COAT'S as good as a Leech. 

1670. RAY, Proverbs ['BELL.], 59. The 
lass in the RED PETTICOAT shall pay for it. 
Young men answer so when they are chid 
for being so prodigal and expensive ; mean- 
ing, they will get a wife with a good 
portion, that shall pay for it. 

1707. WARD, Hud. Rediv. , n. iii. , 24. 
A drum was beaten on the ground By an 
old RED COAT. 

.1720. Old t Song [DuRFEY, Pills t &c. 
(1720) vi. 324]. Old musty Maids that 
have Money . . . May have a Bit for their 
Bunny, To pleasure them in their Beds, 
Their hearts will turn to the RED-COATS. 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering. . . . 
We'll see if the RED COCK craw not in his 
bonny barn-yard ae morning before day 
dawning. 

1826. COOPER, Last of Mohicans 
[BARTLETT]. What may be right and 
proper in a RED-SKIN may be sinful in a 
man who has not even a cross in his blood 
to plead for his ignorance. 

1830. LYTTON, Paul Clifford, 80. 
A tumbler of blue ruin fill, fill for me, RED 
TAPE those as likes it may drain. 

1834. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, i. ix. 
Famous wine this beautiful tipple better 
than all your RED FUSTIAN. 

1848. RUXTON, Far West, 8. Jest 
then seven darned RED HEADS top the 
bluff. Ibid., ii. Being as a REDSKIN, 
thirsting for their lives. 

1848. THACKERAY, Book of Snobs, 
xxv. A woman who was intimate with 
every duchess in THE RED BOOK. 



1851. MAYHEW, London Lab. t ii. 
564. The RED LINERS, as we calls the 
Mendicity officers, who goes about in dis- 
guise as gentlemen, to take up poor boys 
caught begging. 

.1852. Traits of Amer. Humour, n. 
114. With their furniture, and the remains 
of a forty-two gallon RED-HEAD. 

1852. BRISTED, Upper Ten Thousand, 
144. It was a great catch for Miss Lewi- 
son, without a RED CENT of her own. 

1861. MACAULAY, Eng. Hist., iii. 
" Oliver's REDCOATS had once stabled their 
horses there." 

1871. DE VERB, Americanisms t . . . 
' ' Salted provisions and RED-EYE to boot " 
is the refrain of many a rude song, and if 
the latter is fiery and raw it is none tht 
less welcome. 

1883. C. MARVIN, Gates of Herat, 
98. These opinions cannot but be so many 
RED RAGS to English Russophobists. 

1889. Century Diet., s.v. RED. Th 
copper cent is no longer current, but the 
phrase RED CENT remains in use as a mere 
emphatic form of cent : ' as it is not worth 
a RED CENT. 

1888. Detroit Free Press, 15 Dec. 
When I got up on election morning I 
hadn't a blamed RED in my pockets. 

1892. NISBET, Bushranger's Sweet- 
heart, 33. Who would take her for twenty- 
five, and an old traveller, to see her MOUNT- 
ING THE RED RAG like a girl of fourteen ? 

1896. CRANE, Maggie, ix. Not a 
cent more of me money will yehs ever get 
not a RED. 

1899. WHITEING, John St., 217. 
Won't it be fine to see the sojers on 'orse- 
back ? I hope its THE REDS. 

1892. KIPLING, Barrack-room Bal- 
lads. ' Tommy.' The publican 'e up an' 
sez, ' We serve no RED-COATS here.' 

1892. Globe, 28 Sept. 6, x. On his 
journey he gathers the anathemas of those 
to whom the literary picture is the RED RAG. 

NEITHER FISH, FLESH, FOWL, 

NOR GOOD RED-HERRING, phr. 

(old). Nondescript ; neither one 
thing nor another; neither hay 
nor grass. RAY. 

1528. Rede me and be nott Wrothe, 
i. iij. b. Wone that is NETHER FLESSHE 

NOR FISSHE. 



Redbreasts. 



Red-lane. 



1530. TYNDALE, Works [Parker Soc. 
i. 299]. We know not whether they be 
good or bad, or whether they be FISH or 
FLESH. 

1546. HEYWOOD, Proverbs ; i. x. Shee 

is NEITHER FISH, NOR FLESH, NOR GOOD 
RED HERRING. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, 2 Hen. IV., iv. 3. 
She's NEITHER FISH NOR FLESH \ a man 
knows not where to have her. 

1656. Muses Recr. [HOTTEN], 94. 
They are NEITHER FISH, FLESH, NOR GOOD 

RED HERRING. 

[?] MARSDEN, Hist. Ch. Churches, \. 
267. "They were neither Parsons, nor 
Vicars, nor stipendiary curates ; in fact, 
They were NEITHER FISH, NOR FLESH, 

NOR GOOD RED HERRING." 

1683. DRYDEN, Duke of Guise, Epil. 
Damn'd Neuters, in their Middle way of 
Steering, Are NEITHER FISH, NOR FLESH, 
NOR GOOD RED HERRING. 

To PAINT (or VARNISH) THE 
TOWN RED (or CRIMSON), verb. 
bhr. (American). See quot. 

1889. Detroit Free Press, 9 Mar. 
PAINTING THE TOWN RED undoubtedly 
originated among the cowboys of western 
Texas, who, upon visits to frontier towns, 
would first become very drunk, or pretend 
to be so, and then mount their bronchos, 
gallop up and down the principal street, 
shooting at anything, and signifying their 
intention to PAINT THE WHOLE TOWN RED 
if any opposition to their origies was 
attempted. It was a mere extravagant 
threat : one constable could usually put 
the whole band in the calaboose. 

1891. Harry Fludyer at Cambridge, 
105. Now, do come ... to see us row. 
We've got a good chance of going head, 
and if we do, my eye, won't we PAINT THE 
WHOLE PLACE RED on Tuesday night ! 

1892. Pall Mall Gaz., 17 Oct., 2, 3. 
He appears here as the typical Johnnie 
. . . whose aid is sought by young men 
who are desirous of PAINTING THE TOWN 
RED. 



REDBREASTS (THE), subs. phr. 
(military). i. The 5th (Royal 
Irish) Lancers. 

2. See RED. 



RED FEATHERS (THE), subs. phr. 
(military). The late 46th Foot, 
now the 2nd Batt. Duke of Corn- 
wall's Light Infantry. [A light 
company were brigaded with 
others in 1777 as "The Light 
Battalion. " The Americans, 
harassed by the Brigade, vowed 
"No Quarter." In derison, to 
prevent mistakes, the Light Bat- 
talion dyed their feathers red.] 
Also " Murray's Bucks" ; "The 
Surprisers " ; " The Lacede- 
monians " ; and " The Docs." 

REDGE (or RIDGE), subs, (old). 
Gold : see RED, subs. i. Hence 
REDGE-CULLY = a goldsmith. 

1665. HEAD, English Rogue (1874), 
i. v. 52, s.v. RIDGE-CULLY. 

1741. Kentish Post, No. 2479, 4, i., 
s.v. 

1834. AJNSWORTH, Rookwood, in. v. 
With my thimble [watch] of RIDGE. 

RED- KNIGHTS, subs. phr. (military). 
The Cheshire Regiment (for- 
merly the Twenty-second Regi- 
ment of Foot). [In 1795 it was 
served with red jackets, waist- 
coats and breeches in lieu of the 
proper uniform. ] Also THE Two 
Two's. 

RED (or SCARLET) LANCERS (THE), 

subs. phr. (military). The i6th 
(The Queen's) Lancers. [The 
only Lancer regiment with a 
scarlet tunic.] 

RED-LANE (-CLOSE or -SEA), subs. 
phr. (old). The throat; GUTTER- 
ALLEY (q.v.\ GROSE. 

1566. UDAL, Roister Doister, i. 3. 
M. Mumb. And sweete make maketh ioly 
good ale for the nones. Tib Talk. Whiche 
will slide downe the LANE without any 
bones. 

1814. COLMAN, Poetical Vagaries 
(1814), 75. O butter'd egg, best eaten 
with a spoon, I bid your yelk glide down 
my throat's RED LANE. 



Red-lattice. 



Red-tape. 



RED-LATTICE (or -LETTICE), subs. 
phr. (old). An ale-house sign. 
Hence RED-LATTICE PHRASES = 
pothouse talk : also GREEN LAT- 
TICE ; RED-GRATE = tavern or 
brothel, or both combined. 
B. E. and GROSE. 

1596. SHAKSPEARE, Merry Wives, 
ii. 2. Vour cat-a-mountain looks, your 
RED-LATTICE phrases, and yfcur bold beat- 
ing oaths. Ibid. (1598), 2 Henry IV. , ii. 
i. He called me even now, my lord, 
through a RED LATTICE. 

1596. JONSON, Ev. Man in his 
Humour, iii. 3. I dwell, sir, at the sign 
of the Water Tankard, hard by the GREEN 
LATTICE : I have paid Scot and lot there 
any time this eighteen years. 

1602. MARSTON, Auton. and Mel- 
lida, v. No, I am not sir Jeffery Balurdo : 
I am not as well known by my wit, as an 
alehouse by a RED LATTICE. 

c. 1607. WILKINS, Mis. of Inf. Marr 
[DODSLEY, OldPlays(RwD), v. 44]. Be 
mild in a tavern ! 'tis treason to the RED- 
LATTICE, enemy to the sign post, and slave 
to humour. 

1622. MASSINGER, Virgin Martyr, 
iii. 3. Spun. I see then a tavern and a 
bawdy-house have faces much alike; the 
one hath RED GRATES next the door, the 
other hath peeping-holes within-doors. 

REDRAW, subs, (back slang). A 
warder ; a JIGGER-DUBBER 



1875. GREENWOOD, Low-life Deeps. 
Shying a lump of wet oakum at the RED- 
RAW. 

REDSHANKS, subs. (old). See 
quots. GROSE. 

c.i 540. ELDAR [PINKERTON. Hist. 
Scot., ii. 396]. Both summer and winter 
. . . going always barelegged and bare- 
footed . . . therefore ... as we use and 
delight, so to go always, the tender 
delicate gentlemen of Scotland call us 
REDSHANKS. 

1542. BOORDE, Work* [E. E. T. S.] 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng., i. 495. We see 
REDSHANK (applied to the Irish,)]. 

1565. STAPLETON, Bedt, B iii., 04. 
A priest . . . called Columban cam from 
Ireland into Britany to preche the woorde 
of God to the REDSHANKES [Picti] as 
dwelt in the south quarters. 



1577. HOLINSHED, Hist. Scotland, 
318. In the battle of Bannockburn were 
three thousande of the Irish Scots, other- 
wise called Kateranes or REDSHANKS. 

<f.i599. SPENSER, State of Ireland. 
He [Robert Bruce, 1306-30] sent over his 
brother Edward with a power of Scots and 
REDSHANKS unto Ireland, where they got 
footing. 

1610. England's Eliza, Mirr. M. 804 
[NARES]. When the REDSHANKES on the 
borders by. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works [NARES]. 
High-land-men, who for the most part 
speake nothing but Irish ; and in former 
time were . . . called the RED-SHANKES. 

1730. BURT, Letters, i. 74 [Note]. 
In the lowlands of Scotland, the rough 
footed Highlanders were called RED- 
SHANKS from the colour of the red -deer 
hair. 

1809. SCOTT, Lady of Lake, Ix. 
[Note]. The ancient buskin was made of 
the undress'd deer hide . . . which pro- 
cured the Highlanders the well-known 
epithet of RED-SHANKS. 

3. (Old Cant). A turkey. 
[Properly the pool-snipe.] 

1707. Old Song, ' Rum Mort's 
Praise of Her Faithless Maunder ' [FAR- 
MER, Musa Pedestris (1896), 36]. RED- 
SHANKS then I could not lack. 

C.172S- Old Song, ' Retoure my dear 
dell [New Canting Diet.}. On RED- 
SHANKS and tibs thou shall every day dine. 

4. (Old Cant). A duck or 
drake. HARM AN and B. E. 



RED-TAPE, subs. phr. (common). 
i. Official routine; formality. 
Hence, as adj. formal : also 

RED-TAPERY Or RED-TAPEISM = 

official routine ; RED-TAPIST = 
(i) a government clerk ; and (2) 
a precisian. Cf. BLUE-TAPE. 

1775. LORD MINTO. Letter, 31 Aug. 
[JV. & Q., 6 S, viii. 349]- Howe gets the 
command. The ships are in great forward- 
ness. I can't say so much for the army. 
Your old friend sticks to rules, TAPE and 
pack thread. 



Reeb. 



10 



Reeler. 



1838. LYTTON, Alice, in. i. The 
men of more dazzling genius began to 
sneer at the RED-TAPE minister as a mere 
official manager of details. Ibid. (1853), 
My Novel, x. xx. Throw over that stiff 

RED-TAPIST. 

1849. KINGSLEY, A If on Lock, iv. 
Fops of RED-TAPE statesmen. 

1855. DICKENS, Prince Bull [Rep. 
Pieces]. He had a tyrannical old god- 
mother whose name was TAPE (et passim). 

1863. BRADDON, Aurora Floyd, xiii. 
A brief respite from parliamentary minutes 
and RED-TAPE. 

1871. Daily News, 29 Dec. It is 
more RED TAPE. 

1884. SPENCER, Man v. State, 59. 
The press and criticisms in Parliament 
leave no one in ignorance of the vices of 
RED-TAPE routine. 

1873. W. MATHEWS, Getting on in 
World, 99. In no country is the RED- 
TAPEIST so out of place as here. Every 
calling is filled with bold, keen, subtle- 
witted men. 

1890. Pall Mall Gaz., 17 Feb., 7, i. 
An amusing instance of RED-TAPEISM is 
reported from America. 

2. See RED. 

REEB, subs, (back slang). Beer : 
TOP OF REEB = a pot of beer. 

REEF, subs, (thieves'). To draw 
up a dress-pocket until the purse 
is within reach of the fingers. 

2. (racing). See quot. [from 
Century}. 

1888. Atlantic, Ixiv. 115. When 
the driver moves the bit to and fro in his 
mouth, the effect is to enliven and stimu- 
late the horse ... If this motion be per- 
formed with an exaggerated movement of 
the arm, it is called REEFING. 

TO LET OUT A REEF, verb. 

phr. (common). To unfasten a 
button after a meal. 

TO NEED A REEF TAKEN IN, 
verb. phr. (common). To be 
drunk : see DRINKS and 
SCREWED. 



REEFER, subs, (nautical). i. A 
midshipman. 

1834. MARRY ATT, Peter Simple, iv. 
A young lady, very nicely dressed, looked 
at me very hard, and said ' ' Well, REEFER, 
how are you off for soap ? " 

1888. Harper's Mag. [Century], 
The gun-room, the home of darling 

REEFERS. 

2. (colloquial). A short all- 
round jacket ; an ARSE-HOLE 

PERISHER or BUM-FREEZER (q.V.). 

REEK, subs. (Old Cant). Money : 
see RHINO. 

REEKIE. See AULD REEKIE. 

REEL. To REEL OFF (or OUT), 
verb. phr. (colloquial). To speak 
or produce easily. OFF THE 
REEL = in succession ; right off. 

1883. D. Telegraph, 26 Oct. Win- 
ning three nurseries OFF THE REEL. 

1888. Elec. Rev. [Century], [They] 
REELED OFF exactly the same number of 
words. 

1894. MOORE, Esther Waters, xxx. 
First five 'favourites STRAIGHT OFF THE 
REEL, three yesterday, and two second 
favourites the day before. 

TO DANCE THE MILLER'S-REEL 

(REEL o' STUMPIE or REEL OF 
BOGIE), verb. phr. (venery). To 
copulate: see RIDE. 

3.1796. Old Scots Song; 'The Mill, 
Mill, O' [Merry Muses (collected by 
Burns)]. Then she fell o'er, an' sae did I, 
An' DANC'D THE MILLER'S REEL, O. 

17 [?]. Old Song; ' Cald Kaill of Aber- 
dene' [SHARPE, Ane Pleasant Garden], 
The lasses about Bogingicht, Their eens 
they are baith cleer and richt, And if they 
are but girded richt, They'll DANCE THE 
REEL OF BOGIE. 

REELER, subs, (rhyming). A police- 
man ; a PEELER (q.v.). 

1879. HORSLEY \_Macm. Mag., xl. 
502 . A REELER came to the cell and 
cross-kiddled (questioned) me. 



Reel-pot. 



II 



Regular. 



1888. SIMS, Plank Bed Ballad 
{.Referee, 12 Feb.]. I guyed, but the 
REELER he gave me hot beef. 

REEL-POT, sub. phr. (old). A 
drunkard : see LUSHINGTON. 
REELING = drunk : see SCREWED. 

REFORM ADO, subs. (old). A dis- 
banded soldier : a degraded 
officer. [In Sp. = an officer de- 
prived of his command but re- 
taining rank and pay : Fr. re- 
formt.'] As adj. = degraded. 

1598. ^JoNSON, Ev. Man in his 
Humour, Hi. 2. Into the likeness of one 
of these REFORMADOS had he moulded 
himself. 

1663. COWLEY, Cutter of Coleman 
St. A troop of REFORMADO officers ; most 
of them had been under my command 
before. 

1664. BUTLER, Hudibras, n. ii. 113. 
I grant you are a REFORMADO saint. 

REENER, subs, (tramps'). A coin : 
as in quot. 

1893. EMERSON, Signer Lippo, xx. 
By all that kind of cant she done a very 
good thing, and she had to, for the old 
man never give her a REENER. 

R E E s B I N , subs, (tinkers'). A 
prison ; a STIR : see CAGE. 

REFLECTOR, subs, (gaming). A 
prepared card : the pattern on the 
back is so grouped as to signalise 
its face value. 

REFRESHER, subs, (legal). i. A 
daily fee given to a barrister after 
the retainer : spec, when a case is 
adjourned. 

1616. Court and Times James I. 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng., ii. 71. A man is 
REFRESHED with money ; a well-known 
legal phrase now]. 

1841. Punch, \. 33, 2, ' A barrister's 
card.' Mr. Briefless, feeling the injustice 
done to the public by the system of RE- 
FRESHERS, will take out his REFRESHERS 
in brandy, rum, gin, ale, or porter. 



^.1859. PE QUINCEY, Sketches, i. 73. 
Every fortnight or so I took care that he 
should receive a REFRESHER. 

1886. Times, 30 Mar. Fees had 
been paid and extra REFRESHERS in order 
to swell the bill of costs. 

1887. Fortnightly Rev., N.S. xl. 28. 
He might have attained to the dignity of 
the Bench, after feathering his nest com- 
fortably with retainers and REFRESHERS. 

1901. Evening Standard, 16 Feb. i, 
i. The late Sir Charles Russell was 
familiar with fees of 1000 guineas a brief 
and REFRESHERS of 100 guineas a day. 

2. (common). A drink ; a GO 
(q.v.}. 

1872. Globe, 12 Mar. That species 
of REFRESHER which in some parts of our 
country is known as a ' morning ' is also a 
German institution. 

1889. Ally Sloper, 3 Aug., 242, x. 
As a rule barristers don't object to RE- 
FRESHERS, 



REGARDLESS. See GET-UP. 

REGULAR, subs, (thieves'). In //. 
= shares of a booty : see NAB. 
GROSE, VAUX, and BEE. 

ENGLISH SYNONYMS. To 
come, or stand in ; to go rags ; to 
whack, to go whacks, or to whack 
up ; to go snacks. 

1828. BEE, Picture of London, 15. 
He who obtained what he now calls the 
swagg, paying to his new pal an undefined 
share, which the thieves persist in calling 
their REGULARS, though nothing can be 
more uncertain than such divisions. 

1838. REYNOLDS, Pickwick Abroad, 
223. I never was a nose for the REGULARS 
came Whenever a pannie was done. 

^.1857. MONCRIEFF, Scamps of London, 
i. 2. What do you mean by REGULARS ? 

1871. Morning Advertiser, ii May. 
He knew who had committed the robbery, 
and as they had not paid him 20 as his 
REGULARS he should round on them. 

1891. CAREW, Auto, of Gipsy, 414- 
He 'cused me o' playin' Ananias and 
Sapphira pinchin' the REGULARS as we 
call it. Ibid., 418. I touched two-thirds 
and Nat and Alf napped their REGULARS. 



Regulator. 



12 



Relish. 



2. (colloquial). (i) A person 
keeping stated times or doing 
regular duty ; (2) anything re- 
curring periodically : as a daily 
passenger, a drink taken at fixed 
hours, &c. 

1397. THIRNYNG, in Rolls of Parlia- 
ment [OLIPHANT, New Eng., i. 181. He 
uses rewelers for REGULARS, speaking of 
the clergy]. 

1858. PRATT, Ten Nights in a Bar- 
room, ii. i. I've been in the habit of 
taking my REGULARS ever since I was 
weaned. 

1888. GOULD, Double Event, 23. 
He had his breakfast before the REGULARS 
came down. 

Adj. (colloquial). Thorough ; 
out-and-out : as a REGULAR 
tartar = a shrew (male or female) ; 
a REGULAR sell = a consummate 
swindle ; a REGULAR corpser = a 
knock-out blow ; a REGULAR 
pelter = a cat-and-dog rain ; a 
REGULAR crow = a person dis- 
mally garbed. 

1850. SMEDLEV, Frank Fairlegh, 
403. Our fine letter's been no go, turned 
out a REGULAR sell, you see, eh ? 

1888. Comhill Mag., March, 228. 
If Joanna was ever so blessed as to hear 
her sing ' Hoop la ! ' it would be a REGULAR 
eye-opener to her. 

REGULATOR, subs, (venery). i. 
The female pudendum: see MO- 
NOSYLLABLE. 

2. (Western American). In 
//. = a band of lynchers ; a 

VIGILANCE COMMITTEE (q.V.}. 

See RUSTLER. 

1892. Scotsman, 7 May, ' Rustlers 
and REGULATORS.' By this band the REGU- 
LATORS were besieged for about three days 
at the "Ta" ranche, where they had 
strongly entrenched themselves. 

REHOBOAM, subs. (old). i. See 
quot. 



1849. BRONTE, Shirley, i. The whole 
surmounted by a REHOBOAM, or shovel- 
hat, which he did not seem to think it 
necessary to lift. 

2. (common). A quadruple 
MAGNUM (y.v.) ; a double JERO- 
BOAM (q.v.): usually of champagne. 

REIGN, verb. (Australian thieves'). 
To be at liberty. 

RELATION. See AVUNCULAR RE- 
LATION. 

RELIEVE, verb, (common). To 
ease, (i) the bowels, (2) the ttstes, 
and (3) sexual desire. 

1868. HALL [LYNDESAY, Works 
(E. E. T. S.), 347, Magin]. He sees her 
come quietly into his bedroom, scans her 
unconcealed charms with great relish, and 
grows amorous, . . . and will die, unless 
she RELIEVES him. 

RELIEVER, subs. (old). See quot. 

1850. KINGSLEY, Cheap Clothes ana 
Nasty. In some sweating places there is 
an old coat kept called the RELIEVER, and 
this is borrowed by such men as have none 
of their own to go out in. 

RELIEVING-OFFICER, subs. phr. 
See quot. 

1883. GRENVILLE-MURRAY, People I 
Have Met, 227. Now the RELIEVING 
OFFICER, or, for brevity's sake, the " R. 
O.," was a term of endearment which the 
Honourable Felix, in common with other 
young noblemen and gentlemen at Eton, 
applied to his father. 

RELIGION. To GET RELIGION, 
verb. phr. (American). To be 
'converted.' 

RELIGIOUS, adj. (Western Ameri- 
can). i. Free from vice : speci- 
fically of horses ; and (2) of a 
horse given to going on his knees : 
see DEVOTIONAL HABITS. 

RELISH, subs. (old). ' Carnal con- 
nection with a woman' (GROSE) : 
see GREENS and RIDE. 



Remainder. 

- ' - .. 

REMAINDER, subs, (booksellers'). 
I. The unsold part of an edition 
bought to be re-sold at a reduced 
price. 

. 1889. Athenceum [Century], His 
mam dealings . . . having been in RE- 
MAINDERS, and his one solitary publica- 
tion a failure. 

2. (publicans'). The drainings 
of pots and glasses : see ALL 
NATIONS. 

REMEDY, subs. (Winchester). i. 
A holiday : cf. WORK ( = pain) 
and REMI. 

^.1519. COLET, Statu tes of St. Pauls 
School. I will also that they shall have 
no REMEDYES . . . excepte the Kynge . . 
desire it. 

1530. MAGNUS, Endowment Deed. 
Newark Grammar School. Thomas Mag- 
nus ordeyneth . . . that the said maisters 
shall not be myche inclyned ... to graunt 
REMEDY for Recreacyon. 

1593. Rites Durham Cath. [SuRTEES 
Soc.]. There was ... a garding and a 
bowling allie ... for the Novices sume- 
tymes to recreate themselves when they 
had REMEDY of there master. 

.1840. MANSFIELD, School Life, 49. 
REMEDYS were a kind of mitigated whole 
holiday. 

1891. WRENCH, Word-Book, s.v. 
REMEDY . . . Remedium seems to have 
been the original word for holiday : trans- 
lated REMEDY . . . The tradition of 
REMEDIES being granted by great persons 
survives in the custom of the Judges on 



Circuit demanding a Half-REMEDY. 

2. (Old Cant). A sovereign; 
2O/- : see RHINO. 

REMEDY-CRITCH, subs. phr. (old). 
A chamber-pot : see IT. 

REMEMBER. See PARSON MEL- 
DRUM. 

REMI, subs. (Westminster School). 
A holiday : cf. REMEDY. 



'3 Rep. 

' : 

REM-IN-RE, subs. phr. (colloquial) 
The deed of kind ; copulation. 

TO BE CAUGHT WITH REM-IN- 
RE = to be taken in the act. 

RENOVATOR, subs, (tailors'). A 
repairing tailor : cf. TRANSLATOR. 

RENT, subs. (Old Cant). Plunder; 

booty. TO COLLECT RENT = to 
rob travellers on the highway 
(BEE). Hence, RENT-COLLECTOR 
= a highwayman : specifically 
one whose fancy was for money 
only. 

RENTS COMING IN, phr. (old 
colloquial).--Dilapidated ; ragged. 

1708-10. SWIFT, PoliteConversation, 
i. I have torn my Petticoat with your 
odious Romping ; my RENTS ARE COMING 
IN ; I'm afraid, I shall fall into the Rae- 
man's Hands. 

To PAY ONE'S RENT, verb. phr. 
(old). To PUNISH (<?.v.); 'to 
PAY out' (q.V.). 

nr I37 ' rP m ' Rick ' Cotr de Lion 

[WEBER] [OLIPHANT, New Eng., i. 86. 
Richard PAYS THE Saracens their RENT 
like our "give them their bellyfull."] 

REP, subs, (old). i. A woman of 
reputation (GROSE) : whence (2) 
a harlot : a woman of a certain 
reputation : also demi-rep : cf. 
RIP. Also as in quot. 1732, short 
for ' repute.' 

1721. DURFEY, Two Queens oj 
Brentford, i. Flower'd callicoes that fill 
our shoars, And worn by dames of REP', as 
well as whores. 

1732. FIELDING, Covent Garden 
Tragedy, 13. Nor modesty, nor pride, 
nor fear, nor REP ; Shall now forbid this 
tender, chaste embrace. 

'PoN (or ON) REP, phr. (old). 
' Upon my reputation.' 

1708-10. SWIFT, Polite Conversation, 
i. Lady Smart. What ! . . . Do you 
say it UPON REP ? Neverout. Poz, I saw 
her with my own Eyes. 



Repairs. 



Responsions. 



1713. ADDISON, Spectator, 135. 
Some of our words ... in familiar writ- 
ings and conversations . . . often lose all 
but their first syllables, as in mob, REP, 
pos, incog, and the like. 

3. (Harrow). A repetition. 

1892. ANSTEY, Voces Populi 'At the 
Regent Street Tuzsanefs,' 65. It's not in 
Selections from British Poetry, which we 
have to get up for REP. 

REPAIRS. No REPAIRS, phr. (com- 
mon). Said of a reckless con- 
test ; neck or nought. 

See ROAD. 

REPARTEE, subs, (old : now recog- 
nised). ' A sudden smart Reply.' 
B. E. (^.1696). 

REPEATER, subs. (American poli- 
tical). An elector voting twice 
on the same qualification. 

REPORTER, subs, (old Irish). A 
duelling pistol : see MEAT-IN- 

THE-POT. 

1827. JONAH HARRINGTON, Personal 
Sketches (1869), i. 288. A tolerable chance 
of becoming acquainted with my friend's 
REPORTERS (the pet name for hair-triggers). 
Idem, 288-9. I have this moment sent to 
the mail coach-office two bullet-moulds, 
not being certain which of them belongs to 

the REPORTERS. 

1865. Cornhill Mag., xi. 166. In 
those days Irish gentlemen always carried 
their REPORTERS or pistols with them. 

R E POSER, subs, (common). A final 
drink ; a NIGHTCAP (g.v.). 

REPTILE, subs. (American cadet). 
i. A new cadet : cf. RABID- 
BEAST. 

2. (colloquial). A degraded 
wretch ; a baseling. Hence 
REPTILE PRESS = the hireling 
press. 

REPUBLICAN, subs, (old colloquial : 
now recognised). 'A Common- 
wealths-man.' B. E. (^.1696). 



REPUBLIC OF LETTERS, subs. phr. 
(old). The post-office. BEE. 

REQUISITION, verb. (American 
military). To take by force : 
now recognised. 

1864. SAL A [Daily Telegraph, 2 
Aug., ['America in the Midst of War']. 
Nothing too small to be annexed. From 
a hundred thousand dollar REQUISITION on 
the Municipality of a Country Town to a 
basket of eggs and a housewife's fresh 
butter. 

1871. Morning Advertiser, i Feb. 
We have all heard of General Butler, We 
know "how Providence plesht him mit 
teapots and shpoons" whilst he was RE- 
QUISITIONING down south. 

RE- RAW, subs, (common). A 
drinking bout ; drunk. 

RESERVOIR. Au RESERVOIR, phr. 
(common). 'Au revoir.' 

1897. MITFORD, Romance of Cape 
Frontier, i. v. " ' Au RESEVOIR,' for your 
way, I believe, lies past the dam." 

RESIDENTIAL - CLUB, subs. phr. 
(common). An habitual assem- 
blage of loafers : spec, a crew of 
idlers, male and female, frequent- 
ing the reading-room of the 
British Museum for the sake of 
shelter and warmth. 

RESPECTABLE, adj. (colloquial). 
Chaste ; decent. 

1857. DICKENS, Little Dorrit, I. 35. 
Something must be done with Maggy . . . 
who . . . is ha barely respectable. 

1899. WHITEING, John St., xxvii. 
Some . . . bear it in silence, feeling that 
it is the price of 'keeping RESPECTABLE.' 

RESPOND, verb, (venery). To 
share the sexual spasm ; TO 
COME (q.V.\ 

RESPONSIONS, subs. (Oxford). 
The first examination for candi- 
dates for the B.A. degree. 

1888. LANG, XXII. Ballades in Blue 
China, ' Ballad of the Midsummer Term.' 
When Lent and RESPONSIONS are ended. 



Respun. 



Revel-dash. 



RESPUN, verb, (tinkers'). To 
steal : see PRIG. 

REST. AND THE REST? phr. 
(common). A retort to anything 
incomplete, or in which something 
is being kept back. 

REST-AND-BE-THANKFUL (THE), 

subs. phr. (venery). See MONO- 
SYLLABLE. 

RESTY, adj. and adv. (old). 
' Head-strong, Wayward, Un- 
ruly, Masterless.' B. E. (^.1696). 

RESURRECTION, subs. phr. A dish 
made of remains : also RESUR- 
RECTION-PIE. 

1884. Cornhill Mag., April, 438. He 
gave us RESURRECTION-PIE; He called it 
beef-steak O my eye 1 

RESURRECTIONIST (or RESURREC- 
TION-MAN, -COVE, -WOMAN), 
subs. phr. (old: now rare). I. 
A body-snatcher. Whence RE- 
SURRECTION-RIG = body-snatch- 
ing. PARKER, GROSE, and 
VAUX. 

1814. SCOTT, Guy Mannering . . . 
RESURRECTION WOMEN, who had promised 
to procure a child's body for some young 
snrgeons. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. i. 
The slavey and her master the surgeon 
and the RESURRECTION-MAN . . . they 
are "all there." 

1859. DICKENS, Tale of Two Cities, 
ii. xiv. "Father," said Young Jerry, 
"what's a RESURRECTION MAN? . . . 
"Oh, father, I should so like to be^ a 
RESURRECTION MAN when I'm quite 
growed up." 

1862. MAYHEW, Lon. Lab., iv. 26. 
Those who steal dead bodies as the 
RESURRECTIONISTS. 

1865. MACDONALD, Alec Forbes, 
Ixvii. The RESURRECTIONISTS were at 
their foul work, and the graveyard, the 
place of repose, was itself no longer a 
sanctuary ! 



1896. J. B. BAILEY, Diary of a 
RESURRECTIONIST, vii. The information 
concerning the RESURRECTION MEN is 
very scattered. Idem, p. 137. He con- 
tinued in the RESURRECTIONIST business 
up to the time of the passing of the 
Anatomy Act. Et passim. 

RESURRECTIONISTS (THE), subs. 
(military). The Buffs (East Kent 
Regiment). [From a rally at 
Albuera after dispersal at the 
hands of the Polish Lancers.] 
Also "The Buff Howards"; 
" The Nutcrackers" ; and " The 
Old Buffs." 

RES-WORT, subs. phr. (back slang). 
Trousers : see KICKS. 

RETOURE. See TOURE. 

RETURNED - EMPTY, subs. phr. 
(clerical). A colonial missionary 
preferred to a place at home. 

1899. Daily Telegraph, 27 Jan., 4, 5. 
There are two classes of RETURNED 
EMPTIES, those who are called home to 
receive dignities and those who are not. 
Taken in the lump, a returned missionary 
does not turn out a good parish priest, 
but he generally turns out an admirable 
dignitary. 

RET-SIO, subs. phr. (back slang). 
An oyster : RET-SIOS = oysters. 

REVELATION, subs. (American). A 
drink; a GO (q.v.). 

18 [?]. S. COURIER, Hard and Fast. 
Will you have a REVELATION, Mr. Jones, 
an outpouring of the spirit Monongahela 
or brandy I've got 'em both ? 

1863. ARTEMUS WARD, Brigham 
Young. Smith used to have his little 
REVELATION almost every day sometimes 
two before dinner. Brigham Young only 
takes one once in a while. 

REVEL-DASH (or -ROUT), subs, 
phr. (old). (i) A rough, noisy, 
and indecent gathering or carouse. 
REVEL-ROUT also = a company 

of SPREESTERS (q.V.). 



Revenge. 



16 



Rex. 



1591. SPENSER, Mother Hub. Tale, 

1. 558. Then made they REVELL ROUTE 
and goodly glee. 

</.i592. GREENE, Works, i. 175. Have 
a flurt and a crash, Now play REVELDASH. 

1613. PURCHAS, Pilgrimage, 430. 
Laughing, singing, dauncing in honour of 
that God. After all this REUEL-ROUT 
they demaund againe of the Demoniake if 
the God be appeased. 

1619. FLETCHER, Monsieur Thomas, 
p. 465. There is a strange thing like a 
gentlewoman, Like mistress Dorothy (I 
think the fiend), Crept into the nunnery, 
we know not which way, Plays REVEL- 
ROUT among us. 

c.i62o. Fryar and Boye, ii. We'll 
break your spell Reply'd the REVEL-ROUT. 

</.i625. ROWLANDS, Hist. Rogues 
[RiBTON-TuRNER, 582], They chose a 
notable swaggering rogue called Puffing 
Dicke to reuell over them, who plaid 
REVELL-ROUT with them indeede. 

1632. BROME, Queen's Exchange, ii. 

2. Wilt thou forsake us, Jeffrey ? then 
who shall daunce The hobby horse at our 
next REVEL ROUT. 

1707. WARD, Hud. Rediv., n. v. 16. 
Amongst the rest o' th' REVEL ROUT, Two 
crazy Watchmen crawl'd about. 

1713. ROWE, Jane Shore, \. i. "My 
brother rest and pardon to his soul Is 
gone to his account : for this, his minion, 
The REVEL-ROUT is done." 



REVENGE, subs, (common). An 
opportunity for recouping or 
retaliation. 

1710. SWIFT, Pol. Conv., iii. Lady 
Smart. Well, Miss, you'll have a sad 
husband, you have such good luck at 
cards. Miss. Well, my Lady Smart, I'll 
give you REVENGE whenever you please. 

REVENGE IN LAVENDER, phr. 
(old). A vengeance in store; a 

ROD IN PICKLE (q.V.). B. E. 

(^.1696); GROSE (1785). 
REVERENCE. See SIR REVERENCE. 

REVERENT, adj. (American). See 
quot. 



1886. American Slang [The State, 
20 May, 217]. A whisky or brandy which 
is held in merited respect for very superior 
potency is entitled REVERENT, from the 
same kind of fancy which led the Scotch 
to call a whisky -jar ' a greybeard.' 

REVERSED, adj. (old). 'A Man 
set (by Bullies) on his Head, and 
his Money turn'd out of his 
Breeches.' B. E. and GROSE. 

REVIEW. REVIEW OF THE BLACK 
CUIRASSIERS, subs. phr. (old). 
A visitation of the clergy. 
GROSE. 

REVIVER, subs, (common). A 
drink ; a PICK-ME-UP (y.v.) ; a 

GO (q.V.). 

1876. BESANT and RICE, Golden 
Butterfly. It was but twelve o'clock, and 
therefore early for REVIVERS of any sort. 

2. (common). A mending 
tailor : cf. TRANSLATOR. Hence, 
as verb. = to mend ; to patch. 

1864. The Times, 2nd Nov. RE- 
VIVERS, who rejuvenate seedy black coats, 
and, for the moment, make them look as 
good as new. 

1865. CasseUs Paper, Article, 'Old 
CloV They are now past 'clobbering, 1 
'REVIVING,' or 'translating.' 

REV-LIS, subs, (back slang). Silver. 

REWARD, subs, (kennel). Supper: 
specifically the blood and entrails 
of the quarry. B. E. (^.1696). 

REX. To PLAY REX, verb. phr. 
(old). To handle roughly and 
terribly ; to PLAY HELL WITH 



1586. WARNER, Alb., i. vi. 22. With 
these did Hercules PLAY REX . . . Not 
one escapes his deadly hand that dares to 
show his head. 

1599. BRETON, Dream of Sir. Effects^ 
17. Love with Rage KEPT such a REAKES 
that I thought they would have gone mad 
together. 



Rheumatism. 



Rhino. 



1599. BRETON, Dream of Strange 
Effects , 17. Love and Rage kept such a 
REAKES that I thought they would have 
gone mad together. 

^.1509. SPENSER, View of Ireland^ 
445. Thinke it to be the greatest indignity 
to the queene that may be, to suffer such a 
caytiffe to PLAY such REX. 

1605. SYLVESTER, Du Bartas, 504. 
Then PLAIES he REX, tears, kils, and all 
consumes. 

1611. COTGRAVE, Diet., s.v. Faire le 
diable de Vauvdt To keepe an old coyle, 
horrible, bustling, terrible swaggering ; to 
PLAY monstrous REAKS, or raks-jakes. 

1616. Court and Times Chas, /., i. 
256. Then came the English ordnance, 
which had been brought to land, TO PLAY 
SUCH REAKS among the horse that they 
were forced to fly. 

1622. FLETCHER, Sea Voyage^ iv. n. 
In that rage (for they are violent fellows) 
they play such REAKS ! 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, HI. ii. 
PLAYING REEKS with the high and stately 
timber, and preparing . . . for the eve of 
the great Day of Judgment. 

1655. FANSHAWE, Luciad, x. 65. 
With fire and sword he overcomes and 
breaks ; In Beadala shall his blade PLAY 
REX. 

RHEUMATISM IN THE SHOULDER, 

subs. phr. (common). Arrest. 
GROSE. 



RHINO, subs, (old). Money : 
generic ; specifically ready money. 
B. E. (^.1696) ; DYCHE(i748) ; 
GROSE (1785). Whence RHINO- 
FAT (or RHINOCERAL) = rich. 

SYNONYMS. Generic. Actual; 
ballast ; beans ; bit (bite or byte) ; 
blunt ; brads ; brass ; bustle ; 
Californians ; captain (the) ; cara- 
van ; change ; charms ; checks ; 
chink ; chinkers ; chips ; clink ; 
coal (or cole) ; COD (q.v.) ; coin ; 
coliander-seeds ; coppers ; cork ; 
corn in Egypt ; crap (or crop) ; 
crisp ; cuckoos ; darby ; delog 
(back slang) ; dibs ; dimmock ; di- 
narly (or dinarlies) ; dingbat ; dirt j 



dollars ; dooteroomus (or doot) ; 
dots ; ducats ; dues ; dumps ; 
dust ; dye-stuffs ; evil (the) ; 
family-plate; fat ; feathers ; flimsy 
(or flim) ; flour ; gent ; gilt (gelt, 
gelter, or gilt-tick) ; gingerbread ; 
gingleboys; ginglers; glanthorne; 
goree; greed; grocery; HADDOCK 
(q.v.); hard; hardstuff; hen; 
honey ; horsenails ; hoxters (or 
huxters) ; iron ; jink ; John (John 
Davis or ready-John) ; kelter (or 
kilter) ; King's (or Queen's pic- 
tures) ; lawful pictures ; legem 
pone ; leaver ; lour (or loure) ; 
s. d. ; lurries ; mammon ; 
metal ; mopusses ; mouldy-'uns ; 
moss ; muck ; needful ; nobbings ; 
nonsense ; nuggets ; ochre ; oil of 
angels ; oil of palms ; ointment ; 
old ; oof (or ooftish : Yiddish) ; 
paint ; palm-oil ; pan ; pap (cf. 
SOFT) ; paper; pee; penny ; pew- 
ter ; pieces ; pile ; plate ; plums ; 
pocket; pony; portcullis; posh; 
pot ; powder ; prey ; PUNCH- 
ABLE (q.v.) ; purse ; queer ; 
quids ; rags ; ready (ready-gilt or 
ready-John) ; redge (or ridge) ; 
reek ; regulars ; ribbon ; ring ; 
rivets ; root of all evil ; rowdy ; 
salt ; sawdust ; scads ; screens ; 
screeves ; scuds ; shadscales (or 
scales) ; shan ; shekels ; shells ; 
shigs ; shiners ; shot ; shin- 
plasters (or plasters) ; sinews of 
war ; skin ; soap ; soft ; soft- 
flimsy (base) ; Spanish ; spanks ; 
spankers ; spondulicks ; spoon ; 
stamps ; steven ; stevers ; stiff ; 
stuff ; stumpy ; sugar ; tin ; tea- 
spoons ; tow; wad; wedge; 
wherewith (or wherewithal) ; 
yellowboys ; yennoms (back 
slang). 1,000,000 = marigold. 
100,000 = plum. 1,000 = 
cow. 500 = monkey. 100 
= century. 25 = pony. 10 
= double-finnup ; long-tailed fin- 
nup (also of notes of higher 



Rhino. 



18 



Rhino. 



values) ; tenner. 5 = ABRA- 
HAM NEWLAND (g.v.) ; finnup ; 
fiver ; flimsy ; lil (or lill) ; Mar- 
shall ; pinnif. 1 (and in many 
eases formerly = 1 Is) = 

bean (or bien) ; bleeder ; canary ; 
chip ; couter (or cooter) ; dragon ; 
dunop ; foont ; George (or yellow- 
George) ; gingleboy ; glistener ; 
goblin ; goldfinch ; harlequin ; 
horse - sovereign ; illegitimate ; 
Jack ; James ; Jane ; Jemmy- 
o'-Goblin (rhyming) ; job (or 
jobe) ; meg (cf. mag = Jd) ; 
monarch ; mousetrap ; ned (or 
neddy) ; new-hat ; nob ; old Mr. 
Gory ; ponte ; poona ; quid ; 
red-'un ; remedy ; ridge (or 
redge) ; shiner ; skin ; skiv ; 
stranger; strike; thick-'un (also 
f 5/') > yellow-boy ; yellow- 
hammer. 10s = half-bean ; half- 
couter ; half-Jack : half -James ; 
half- Jane ; half-ned (or -neddy) ; 
net-gen ; smelt ; young illegiti- 
mate. 7s = spangle. 6s 6d 
= George. 5s 3d = whore's 
curse. 5S = bull (or bull's-eye) ; 
caroon; cart-wheel; coach- wheel; 
case ; caser ; decus ; dollar ; 
hind coach (or cart) wheel ; 
Oxford ; thick-'un ; tusheroon ; 
wheel. 2s 6d = coach-wheel ; 
five-pot piece ; flatch ; fore-coach- 
wheel ; George ; half-case ; half- 
dollar ; half-Oxford ; half-yenork; 
madza-caroon ; slat. 2s = half- 
dollar. Is 6d = hog and a kye. 
IS l^d = loonslate (or loonslatt) ; 
hangman's wages. Is = Abra- 
ham's willing (rhyming) ; blow ; 
bob; bobstick; borde ; breaky- 
leg ; button ; deaner (or deener) ; 
gen ; generalise ; grunter ; hog ; 
jogue ; levy ; lilywhite-groat ; 
Manchester sovereign ; mejoge ; 
north-easter ; oner ; peg ; teviss ; 
thirteener ; touch-me ; twelver. 
10d = dacha-saltee ; jumper. 
9d = ill-fortune ; picture of ill- 



luck. 6d = bandy ; bender ; 
cripple ; croaker ; crook ; crook- 
back ; deaner ; downer ; fiddle ; 
fiddler ; fyebuck ; goddess Diana ; 
griff-metol ; grunter ; half-borde ; 
half-hog ; hog ; kick ; kye ; lord- 
of-the-manor ; northeaster ; pig ; 
pot ; sice ; simon ; snide ; sow's- 
baby ; sprat ; syebuck ; tanner ; 
tester ; tilbury ; tizzy. 5d 
cinqua soldi ; kid's-eye. 4d = 
castle-rag ; flag ; groat ; joe (or 
joey). 3d = currants-and-plums; 
threps ; threeswins ; thrums. 2d 
= dace ; deuce ; duce. Id = D ; 
dibblish ; George ; harper ; pol- 
lard ; saltee ; win ; yennep. |d 
= flatch ; madza-saltee ; Maggie 
Rab (or Robb) ; magpie ; make 
(magg or mec) ; post ; rap ; 
scurrick ; tonic. |d = Covent- 
garden ; fadge ; farden ; fiddler ; 
gennitraf ; grig ; Harrington ; jig 
(or gigg) ; quartereen ; scrope. 

Base coin or trick pieces = 

cap; cover-down ; dandy ; double- 
header ; flats ; fleet-note ; fletch 
(or flatch) ; gaffing-coin ; galley- 
halfpenny ; gammy lour ; gray ; 
hard ; hardware ; kone ; mopus ; 
pony ; queer ; soft-flimsy ; snide ; 
stumer. 

FRENCH SYNONYMS. Generic. 
Achetoires ; affure ; artiche ; 
atout ; bathe ; beurre ; bille ; 
braise ; carme ; ce gut se pousse ; 
de quoi ; douille ; foin ; galette ; 
galtos ; graisse ; graissage ; gras ; 
huile ; huile de mains ; jaunets ; 
(or jauniau) ; mttal ; miche (or 
miche de profonde) ; monaco ; 
mornifle; morlingue; morninguc; 
mouscai lions ; nerf ; noyaux ; 
oignons ; os ; oscille ; patards ; 
pecune ; ptpettes ; pedzale ; pese 
(or phe) ; picaillons ; piesto ; 
pimpions j pldtrc ; plombes ; 
pognon (or poignon) ; pouiffe ; 
poussier ; quantum ; quibus ; 



Rhody. 



Ribald. 



ronds ; rouis caillons ; rubis ; 
sable ; sauvette ; sine qud non ; 
sitnomen ; soldats ; sonnettes ; 
sous ; thTine (or tune) ; vaisselle 
de poche ; zinc. 

ITALIAN SYNONYMS. Generic. 
Agresto ( = sour grapes) ; albume; 
argume ; asta (or asti) ; brunotti ; 
contramiglia ; cucchi ; lugani ; 
penne ; smilzi ; squame. 

SPANISH SYNONYMS. Gene- 
ric. Amigos ( = friends) ; caire ; 
florin; lana ; lozurraco ; mo- 
rusa j mosca ; numerario ; plume 
( = feathers) ; sangrt ( = blood) ; 
d toca teja ; unguento (or unguento 
de Mejica}. 

1670. Old Ballad, 'The Seaman's 
Adieu' {Notes and Queries, 7 S., v. 417]. 
Some as I know, Have parted with their 
ready RING. 

1688. SHADWELL, Sq. of Alsatia, i. 
Cole is, in the language of the witty, 
money ; the ready, the RHINO. Thou 
shall be RHINO-CERICAL, my lad. 

1772. BRIDGES, Burlesque Homer, 
139. For getting RHINO here's the spot. 

1840. BARHAM, Ingold. Leg. (Sir 
Rupert the Fearless). And to sum up 
the whole, in the shortest phrase I know, 
Beware of the Rhine, and take care of the 
RHINO ! 

1848. LOWELL, Biglow Papers, i S., 
Intro. A gold mine . . . Containing 
heaps heaps of native RHINO. 

1899. Scarlet City, 65. He added, 
throwing a sovereign on the table, ' Split 
up that bit of RHINO." 

RHODY (LITTLE), subs.phr. (Ameri- 
can). _ The State of Rhode 
Island : the smallest in the Union. 

RHYME-SLINGER, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). A poet. 

RHYMING SLANG. A method of 
indicating words by a rhyming 
or quasi-rhyming substitute ; e.g. , 
ABRAHAM'S WILLING = shilling ; 
STAND - AND - SHIVER = river ; 



ELEPHANT'S TRUNK = drunk ; 
PENNY-COME-QUICK = trick; and 
so forth. First in vogue during 
the late Fifties, but artistically 
developed of late years by The 
Sporting Times or Pink 'Un. 
With use the rhyme has been 
suppressed by experts : e.g.> FM- 
SO-FRISKY = whiskey becomes 
FM-SO, while FLOUNDER-AND- 
DAB = cab is merely FLOUNDER. 

RIB, subs, (common). i. A wife : 
whence CROOKED RIB = a cross- 
grained wife. GROSE (1785). 
See DUTCH. 

1609. HALL, Soloman's Divine A rts. 
How many have we known whose heads 
have been broken by their own RIB. 

1632. JONSON, Magnetic Lady, ii. i. 
An ample portion for a younger brother, 
With a soft, tender, delicate RIB of man's 
flesh. 

1707. FARQUHAR, Beaux' Stratagem, 
v. Mrs. Sullen. Spouse ! Squire Sul. 
RIB. 

1732. FIELDING, Mock Doctor, i. 
Go thrash your own RIB, Sir, at home. 

1772. BRIDGES, Burlesque Homer, 
133. Your dunder-pate Shan't use your 
RIB at such a rate. 

1857. TROLLOPS, Three Clerks, xlvi. 
Half a dozen married couples all separat- 
ing, getting rid of their RIBS and buckling 
again, helter-skelter, every man to some- 
body else's wife. 

2. (common). In//. = a stout 
person. 

See DEVIL'S BONES. 

RIBALD (RIBOLD or RIBAUD), subs. 
(old colloquial : long recognised). 
A profligate, male or female ; 
spec, (a) a harlot, and (b) a PONCE 

(q.V.) Or MUTTON-MONGER (q.V.). 

Whence RIBALDRY (RIBAUDRY, 
or RIBBLE-RABBLE) = (i) inde- 
cency, * profligate talk' (GROSE), 
and (2) the mob, the scum of 
of society ; RIBAUDOUR = a re- 
tailer of SMUT (q.V.} J RIBALDIST 



Ribald. 



20 



Rib-roast. 



(RIBAUDROUS, or RIBAUDRED) = 
whorish, whoreson, filthy and the 
like; RIBBLE-ROW = (i) a list of 
the rabble : whence (2) an inven- 
tory. 

1360. CHAUCER, Rom. of Rose, 5673. 
Many a RIBAUDE is mery and baude. 

1362. LANGLAND, Piers Plowman 
(C), vii. 435. On fasting-dais by-fore noon 
iche fedde me with ale, Out of reson, 
a-mong RYBAUDES here RYBAUDRYE to 
huyre. Ibid. (A), vii. 66. lonete of the 
stuyues, And Robert the RIBAUDOUR. 

1376. [RiBTON-TuRNER, Vagrants, 
&*c., 52]. In the last year of this reign 
we find the Commons petitioning the King 
" that RIBALDS . . . and Sturdy Beggars 
may be banished out of every town." 

1491. Destr. of Troy [E. E. T. S.], 
7651. Ephistafus hym presit with his 
proude wordes, As a RIBOLD with reueray 
to his roide speche. 

*573- BARET, Alyearie [NARES]. A 
RIBAUDROUS and filthie tongue, os inces- 
turn, obscanum, impurum, et impudicum. 

1599. HALL, Satires, ix. Rhymed 
in rules of stewish RIBALDRY. 

1608. SHAKSPEARE, Ant. &> Cleop., 
iii. 8. Yon RIBAUDRED nag of Egypt 
Whom leprosy o'ertake. 

l6ll. COTGRAVE, Diet., S.V. RlBAULD. 

A rogue, ruffian, rascale, scoundrele, valet, 
filthie fellow; also a RIBAULD fornicator, 
whore - munger, bawdie- house haunter. 
s.v. RIBAULDE. A whore, queane, punke, 
gill flurt, common hackney, doxie, mort. 
[See also, s.v. RIBAUDAILLE, RIBAUDINE, 

ROYAKS, RlBAULDS, RlBAULDES, &C.] 

1641. MILTON, Def. of Humb. 
Remons. As for the proverb, the Bishop's 
foot hath been in it, it were more fit for a 
Scurra in Trivio, or som RIBALD upon an 
Ale-bench. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works [NARES], A 

RIBBLE-RABBLE of gossips. 

1670. COTTON [Works (1734), 119]. 
This witch a RIBBLE-ROW rehearses, Of 
scurvy names in scurvy verses. 

1705. WARD, Hud. Rediv., i. vii. 6. 
Such uncouth, wretched RIBBLE-RABBLE. 

1841-6. BROWNING, Bells and Pome- 
granates, 'Pied Piper.' Insulted by a 
lazy RIBALP. 



RIBBIN (RIBBON or RIBBAND), 

subs. (old). i. Money : generic. 
Hence, THE RIBBIN RUNS THICK 
(or THIN) = ' the breeches are 
well lined ' (or ' there's little cash 
about'). B. E. (^.1696); GROSE 
(1785); VAUX (1812). 

2. (common). In//. = reins : 
whence TO HANDLE (or FLUTTER) 
THE RIBBONS = to drive. See 
HANDLE and add quots. infra. 

1837. DICKENS, Pickwick (1857), 36. 
Give the gen'l'man the RIBBINS. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingoldsby Legends, 
1 St. Odille.' 'Tis the same with a lady, it 
once she contrives To get hold of the 
RIBANDS. 

See BLUE RIBBON. 



RIB-ROAST (-BASTE or -TICKLE), 

verb. (old). To thrash ; TO 
PUNISH (q.v.). Whence RIB- 
ROASTING (&C. : also RIB-BEND- 
ING or RIBBING) = a pummelling; 

RIB-ROASTER (&C. : also RIB- 
BENDER, RIBBER, or A RIB OF 

ROAST) = (pugilists') a blow on 
the body, or in the ribs, which 
brings down an opponent's guard 
and opens up the head. B. E. ; 
MARTIN (1754); GROSE. 

1576. GASCOIGNE, Steel Glass, Ess. 
Ded. [ARBER]. Though the shorneful do 
mocke me for a time, yet in the ende I 
hope to giue them al a RYBBE TO ROSTE 
for their paynes. 

1595. HALL, Maroccus Extalicus. 
Such a piece of filching as is punishable 
with RIB-ROAST. 

1620. ROWLANDS, Night-raven 
[NARES]. Tom, take thou a cudgell and 
RIB-ROAST him. 

1663. BUTLER, Hudibras. And he 
departs, not meanly boasting Of his mag- 
nificent RIB-ROASTING. 

^.1704. L'ESTRANGE, Works [Ency. 
Diet. ]. I have been . . . well RIBROASTED 
. . . but I'm in now for skin and all. 

1762. SMOLLETT, Sir L. Greaves, \. 
v. In which he knew he should be RIB- 
ROASTED every day, and murdered at last. 



Ribstone. 



21 



Ride. 



1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 51. While 
RIBBERS rung from each resounding frame. 

1857. _ CUTHBERT BEDE, Verdant 
Green, n. iv. To one gentleman he would 
pleasantly observe ..." There's a regu- 
lar RIB -ROASTER for you ! " 

1876. HINDLEY, Cheap Jack, 284. 
It was some time before he recovered the 
RIB-BENDER he got from the fat show- 
woman. 

1886. Phil Times, 6 May. There 
was some terrible slogging . . . Cleary 
planted two RIB-ROASTERS, and a tap on 
Langdon's face. 

1891. Lie. Viet. Gaz., g Feb. Re- 
paid the compliment with another RIB- 
BENDER. 

RIBSTONE, subs, (common). See 
PIPPIN. 

1883. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads 
[Punch, ii Oct.]. 'Ow are yer, MY RIB- 
STONE. 

RIB-TICKLER, subs. phr. (collo- 
quial). i. Thick soup ; GLUE 



2. See RIB-ROAST. 

RICE- BAGS, subs. phr. (common). 
i. TROUSERS : see KICKS. 

2. (American). In sing. = a 
rice planter. 

RICH, adj. and adv. (colloquial). 
I. Outrageous ; (2) ridiculous ; 
and (3) SPICY (g.v.). 

.1350. Turnament of Totenham 
[HAZLITT, Early Pop. Poet., iii. 91]. Alle 
the wyues of Totenham come ... To fech 
home thaire husbondis . . . With wispys 
and kixes, that was a RICH sight. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. ii. 
The left-hand side of the bar is a RICH bit 
of low life. 

1840. PORTER, Southwestern Tales, 
57. Thar we was . . . rollin 1 with laughin' 
and liquor, and thought the thing was 

RICH. 

1844. DISRAELI, Coningsby, viii. i. 
'Was Spraggs RICH ?'' Wasn't he 1 I 
have not done laughing yet ... Killing ! 
. . . The RICHEST thing you ever feeard.' 



1897. MITKORD, Romance of Cape 
Frontier, ix. The notion of Allen bother- 
ing anyone to take out a bees' nest . . . 
struck them all as ineffably RICH. 

RICH-FACE, subs. phr. (old). *A 
Red-face.' B. E. (^.1696). 

RICHARD, subs, (common). A dic- 
tionary: also RICHARD SNARY 
and RICHARDANARY. GROSE. 
Fr. musicien. 

1622. TAYLOR (Water Poet), Motto, 
Intro., s.v. RICHARD SNARY. 

RICK-MA-TICK, subs. phr. (Scots'), 
i. A concern ; a business ; a 
thing : as * The whole blessed 
RICK-MA-TICK went to smash.' 

2. (school). Arithmetic. 

RICOCHET, adj. (American cadet). 
Gay; splendid. 

RID. To RID THE STOMACH, verb, 
phr. (common). To vomit. 

RIDDLEMEREE, subs, (old). See 
quot. 

c.1772. J[UNIUS, Letters [WOODFALL], 
ii. 316. This style, I apprehend, Sir, is 
what the learned Scriblerus calls rigmarol 
in logic RIDDLEMEREE amongst School- 
boys. 

RIDE, verb, (venery). i. To possess 
carnally; to SWIVE (g.v.). Fr. 
chevaucher (= to swive) and 
chevaucherie ( = a swiving) (Cox- 
GRAVE, 1611 ; and GROSE, 1785). 

ENGLISH SYNONYMS (also see 
GREENS). To accommodate ; 
Adamize ; ballock ; belly-bump 
(URQUHART) ; bitch (generic) ; 
block ; bob (FLETCHER) ; bore ; 
bounce ; brush ; bull; bum ; bum* 
baste (URQUHART) ; bumfiddle 
(DAVIES of Hereford) ; bung ; 
buttock ; caress ; caulk ; cavault ; 
chauver ; chuck ; clicket (FiET- 



Ride. 



22 



Ride. 



CHER, GROSE) ; club ; cock ; 
come about ; come aloft (E. 
SPENSER) ; compress ; couple 
with ; cover ; cross ; cuddle ; 
dibble ; diddle ; do (SHAKSPEARE, 
JONSON, generic) ; dock ; dog ; 
do over ; ease ( = (i) to rump, and 
(2) to deflower) ; embrace ; ferret 
(FLETCHER) ; fiddle ; flap ; flesh 
(FLORIO) ; flimp ; flourish ; flut- 
ter ; foin (generic) ; fondle ; fora- 
minate (URQUHART); frisk ; fuck 
(LYNDSAY, FLORIO, BAILEY, 
BURNS) ; fuckle ; fugle (DuR- 
FEY) ; fulke ; fumble (FLETCHER); 
futter (R. BURTON) ; get-into ; 
ginicomtwig (FLORIO) ; goose ; 
goose-and-duck (rhyming) ; go 
through ; handle ; have ; hog ; 
hole ;" hoist ; horse ( JONSON) ; 
huddle ; huffle ; hug (FLETCHER, 
BURNS) ; hump ; hustle ; impale ; 
invade ; jack ; jape (SKELTON, 
PALSGRAVE, LYNDSAY, FLO- 
RIO) ; jig-a-jig ; jiggle ; jink 
(RAMSAY, ROBERTSON, of 
Struan) ; job (BURNS) ; jock ; 
jog (MlDDLETON) ; jolt ; jottle ; 
jounce ; jumm (URQUHART) ; 
jumble (or jumble up : STANY- 
HURST, DURFEY) ; jump (RAN- 
DOLPH) ; kiss (RAMSAY, MOR- 
RIS) ; knock (for nock : DURFEY, 
RAMSAY) ; know (Biblical) ; lay 
out ; lard ; leacher (COTGRAVE) ; 
leap (SHAKSPEARE, JONSON, 
DRYDEN) ; lerricompoop ; lie 
with ; line (SHAKSPEARE) ; 
love ; man ; meddle with ; inell 
(LYDGATE, SHAKSPEARE) ; 
mount (SHAKSPEARE, JONSON) ; 
mow (Scots' : LYNDSAY, DUR- 
FEY, BURNS) ; muddle ; mump ; 
muss ; nibble ; nick ; nidge 
(Scots'); nig; niggle (DEKKER, 
ROWLANDS, BROME) ; nock 
(FLORIO, ASH) ; nodge (Scots') ; 
nub ; nug ; oblige ; occupy 
(SHAKSPEARE, FLORIO, JONSON) ; 
peg ; perforate ; perform on ; 



pestle ; phallicize ; pizzle ; please 
(CHAPMAN, BURNS) ; pleasure; 
plough (SHAKSPEARE) ; plowter ; 
pluck (SHAKSPEARE) ; plug ; 
poke (DURFEY) ; pole ; poop ; 
possess (MASSINGER, SMOLLETT); 
pound ; priapize ; prick ; prig ; 
push ; qualify ; quiff ; quim ; 
rake ; rasp ; relish ; rig ; roger ; 
rummage ; rump ; rut ; Saint- 
George ; sard (LYNDSAY, FLO- 
RIO) ; scour ; screw ; see ; serve ; 
sew up ; shag ; shake ; smock ; 
smoke (FLETCHER) ; snabble ; 
snib ; solace ; spike ; split ; 
stick ; strike; stroke; stitch (DOR- 
SET) ; spread ; strain ; strum ; 
swinge (FLETCHER) ; swive ; tail ; 
taste (FIELDING) ; thrum ; towze ; 
touzle (FIELDING) ; tread ; trim 
(SHAKSPEARE, FLETCHER) ; 
trounce ; tumble ; tup (SHAK- 
SPEARE) ; turn up ; up ; vault ; wap 
(Old Cant) ; womanize ; work. 

FRENCH SYNONYMS [R. = 
RABELAIS]. Abattre (or abattre 
du bois) ; s'dboucher ; abuser ; 
acclamper (R.) ; accointer (faccoin- 
ter or avoir des accointances : R.) ; 
accoler (R.); accommoder (R.); 
accomplir (accomtilir son. dhir or 
plaisir) ; accorder sa flute ; accou- 
pandir (R.); s 1 decoupler ; accou- 
trer ; accrocher (R.) ; accueillir ; 
affiler le bandage (R.) ; affronter 
(R.) ; aforer le tonel(Q. Fr.) ; agir 
(LA FONTAINE) ; aimer (conven- 
tional); ajuster (R.) ; ALLER a 
Cythere, a dame, a la charge, a 
pinada, au bcurre, au bonheur, 
au choc, au del, au gratin^ 
aux armes, aux tpinards (cf. 
GREENS), d'attaque (y), F amble > 
and se faire couper les cheveux ; 
allumer le flambeau d" 1 amour ; 
anhaster (R.) ; apaiser sa 
braise (LA FONTAINE) ; ap- 
point 'er (R.) ; apprivoiser ; ap- 
procher ; approvisionner ; arieter 



Ride. 



Ride. 



(R.) ; arr acker son copeau ; 
arresser (R.) ; ar river a sesfins ; 
ar river au but ; assailler (R. : 
also assaillir) ; astiquer ; AVOIR 
commerce, contentement, duplaisir, 
forfait, la cheville au trou ; la 
jouissance, les bonnes graces, le 
solaz, son plaisir, and une bonne 
fortune. BADIGEONNER ; badiner 
( =JAPE) ; baguer (STITCH, q.v.} ; 
baiser (KISS, q.v.} ; ballotter ; 
bar after ; bdter d'dne(R.) ; battre 
le briquet ; battre les car tiers (R.) ; 
battre la laine (R.) ; beliner (R.) ; 
beluter (R.) ; bistoquer ; bistouriser 
(R.) ; bluter ; bobeliner (R.) ; 
boire (also boire la coupe de 
plaisir} ; boudiner ; bourrer ; 
bourriquer ; boxonner ; branler le 
cul (or la croupiere} ; braque- 
marder (R.) ; brecolfrttiller ; 
bricoler (R.); brimballer (R.) ; 
brisgoutter (^.} ; brochier ; brode- 
quiner ; broquer ; brouiller ( = 
JUMBLE, .#.); brulerune cierge ; 
brusquer. CALENDOSSER (also 
encaldosser) ; calfeutrer (cf. 
CAULK); carabiner (R.); ^wa- 
>/<fr (R.) ; caramboler ; caresser 
(LA FONTAINE) ; carillonner 
(R.) ; cauquer ; causer; CHANTER 
/a messe, Voffice de la Vierge, 
fintroil, or un couplet ; charger ; 
chauldronner (R.) ; cheminer 
autrement que des pieds ; chevau- 
cher (R. : RIDE, q.v.} ; cheviller ; 
choser ; cliqueter (R. =CLIQUET) ; 
coc her ( R. ) ; co & ner ( R. ) ; se coller ; 
combattre ; commettre la folie (or 
le forfaif) ; conailler ; conftrer ; 
confesser ; conjoindre (also se con- 
joindre} ; conjouir ; connditre 
(also connditre au fond : KNOW, 
q.v.} ; conniller ; conceuvrer ; 
consoler ; consommer le sacrifice ; 
contenter (CONTENT, q.v. : also 
contenter Penvie, ses dtsirs, or 
sa flamme) ; converser ; copuler ; 
coucher (LIE WITH, q.v.} ; coudre 
(LA FONTAINE : SEW UP, q.v.} ; 



se coupler (R.) ; COURIR, un poste, 
or des posies, Faiguillettc, la lance, 
"amble, or sur le ventre ; courier ; 
couvrir (R. : COVER, q.v.); 
cramper ; cr&ver P ceil ; CUEILLIR 
des lauriers, la f raise, la noisette, 
or un bouton de rose sur le nom- 
bril; culbuter ; culler (O. Fr.) ; 
cultiver. DANSER, aux noces, 
la basse danse (R.), la basse 
note, le branle de un dedan 
et deux, dehors, le branle du 
loup, une bourrte, and une 
sarabande ; darder ; debar- 
bouiller (R.) ; dtbraguetter (R.); 
dtcrotter ; dlduire ; dtliter ; 
dtniaiser y dlpScher ; dlpenser ses 
cotelettes ; des crater (R.)> se 
dtsennuyer ; dlshouser (O. F. = 
to scour) ; deviser ; dire ses 
oraison ; disposer s'en DONNER ; 
se donner carriere, de la satis- 
faction, des lemons de droit, des 
preuves d'estime, des secousses, au 
ban temps, and duplaisir ; donner 
Vaubade, I'avoine, Vassant, le 
picotin, un branle, une le$on de 
physique exptrimentale, une 
venue, du contentement, and 
un clyster I ; dormir ; doubler. 
S'EBATTRE ; s'tbaudir (R.) ; 
s'ldifier ; s'lwuir ; embloquer a 
la cupidique (R.) ; emboiter ; em- 
boucher ; emboudiner; embourrer; 
embriconner (also R. = to seduce) ; 
embrocher (R.) ; emmancher ; 
s'dmoucheter ; empe~cher (R. and 
LA FONTAINE) ; enchtiver ; en- 
clouer ; encocher (R.)> enconner 
(cf. R. BURTON'S 'encunt' = 
TO PUT IN) ; ENFERRER ; enfilcr 
(R.) : en] 'oncer ; enfourcher( = 
TO SPREAD) ; enfourner ; en- 
gatner (also engainer sa virgule) ; 
enjamber (cf. crop) ; entamer le 
cuir ; entoiser ; s 1 entrefaire le 
jeu ; entreprendre ; ENTRER au 
couple, en champ clos, en danse, 
en guerre, en joute, and en lice ; 
entretenir ; envahir ; enviander ; 



Ride. 



24 



Ride. 



epousseter ; s'escarmoucher^WS- 
SEAU) ; essayer un lit ; estocadtr ; 
dialler; ETEINDRE sa braise, sa 
chandelle, and sesfeux ; Wrangler; 
Y ETRE ; $tre aux mains, aux 
prises, en action, en ctuvre, im- 
pertinent, and vainqueur ; fore de 
corvte a la viande ; Driller ; 
tvacuer ; extcuter ; exercer (R. : 
also exercer les bons membres} ; 
exptdier (LA FONTAINE) ; ex- 
ploiter (also exploiter au Pa*'s- 
bas \ R.). Fa$ onner ; FAIRE 
( = TO DO), une bar be, une fa$on, 
bataille, beau bruit de culetis (R.), 
bonne chtre, campagne, ca, cela 
(ViLLON), connaissance, des bi- 
tises, des galipettes, dia, Rue 
Haut ; s* en faire donner ; sefaire 
donner la fesste ; faire du bon 
compagnon ; faire en levrette 
( = DOG-FASHION) ; se le faire 
*aire ; faire fte, folie de son 
corps, galanterie, la belle joir, 
la besogne, la bete a deux dos 
(R., SHAKSPEARE), la bonne 
chose, la cause (or chose) pourquoi 
(R.), la ckasse aux conins, la 
chosette, le c<zur, la culbute, la 
fete, la folie (LA FONTAINE : also 
la folie auxgar$ons), la grenouille, 
la guerre (VOLTAIRE), Paubade, 
la pauvrt, and la vilenie ; le 
faire; faire I'acte v&nlrien, 
V amour, I'amoureux tripot, 
V androgyne, le cas, le dtduit 
(TALLEMENT DES REAUX, &c.), 
dtlit, dtsir, devoir, heurtebelin, 
jeu d 1 amour, Fceuvre de nature, 
le pa^net, ptcht, le petit ver- 
minage, le saut (LA FONTAINE: 
also le saut de Michelet), le reste, 
le trite, penitence, plaisir, river 
son clou, sa besogne, sa f$te, sa 
partie, sa voluntt, service, ses 
besognettes (ViLLON), ses choux 
gras, ses petites affaires, ses pri- 
vantts, son bon, son deilit, son 
devoir, son plaisir, son talent, 
and son vouloir ; faire tort, tout. 



un duel, une charade, une poli- 
tesse, tin tour de cul, tin tron^on 
de bon ouvrage, un fronton de 
chiere lie (R.)> virade, une 
pirouette sur le nombril, comptet 
les so lives a une femme, chou 
blanc, and pan-pan ; se faire 
de ' raiscr ; faire zizi; fanfrelucher 
(R.) ; farfouiller (R.) \fatrouiller 
(O. Fr.) ; favoriser ; fergier ; 
ferrer ; festoyer ( VOLTAIRE) ; 
feter (VOLTAIRE : also ffrer le 
Saint- Pria-be} ; Jicher ; flatter ; 
f oilier (R.); foraminer (R.); se 
forfaire ; forger ; forligner (of 
women : LA FONTAINE) ; forriller 
(R.) ; fouailter (R.); fouiller ; 
fouler ; fourbir (R.) ; fourcher 
(R.) ; fourgonner (R.) ; fournir 
(ja\sofournir la carriere] ; f outre 
(= FUCK, q.v.} ', foutriller ; 
franc hir le saut ; frayer ; frttiller 
(also frltiller-nature and frttin- 
fretailler : R. = O. Fr. = TO 
FRISK) ; fringoter ; fringuer (also 
fringasser) ; FROTTER sou lard, 
la coine and la conenne (R.). 
Galantiser ; galler (O. Fr. = 
s'amuser) ) gsir (O. Fr. = cou- 
cher} ; gesticular; gimbretter (R.); 
glisser ; gouter les bats, les 
plaisirs or les joies ; grappiller ; 
greffer ( VOLTAIRE) ; gribouiller 
(R.); grimper (R. ) ; guerroyer ; 
guincher. Habeloter ; habiller ; 
habiter ; haillonner (R.) ; hanter; 
harigoter (R. ) ; hennequiner ; 
hocher (R. = shake) ; hoder (R.) ; 
hoguiner (R.) ; houbler ; hourde- 
biller (R. ) ; housser (O. Fr. = 
to scour) ; houspiller ; hubir ; 
hurter; hurtibiller (R. : O. Fr. 
= s'accoupler) ; hutiner (R.). 
s'lNCARNER ; incruster ; inir ; 
instruire (also finstruire] ; in- 
strumenter (R.) ; investir. /an- 
culer ; jaser (also jazer) ; ioc - 
queter (R.) ; joindre (also se 
joindre} ; JOUER (LA FONTAINE), 
a la b$te a deux dos, a la corniche 



Ride. 



Ride. 



(R.) ; a cul-bas (R.) ; la fossette 
(R. /. CHERRY-PIT) ; a Vhomme, 
au passe-temps de deux & deux, 
au piquet (R.), au r ever sis, 
aux cailles, aux dames rabat- 
tues (R.). oux quilles, ce jeu- 
la, de la braguette, de la flute, 
de la marotte, de la navette 
(R.), de la saque-boute, des basses 
marches (R.)> des cymbales, des 
gobelets, des mannequins, des 
reins, du cul, du serre-cropiere 
(R.), du mirliton, du piston, and 
de Famorabaquine ; jouir ; j outer 
(also jouter a la quint aine : R.). 
Labourer ; se laisser atter (also 
laisser aller le chat au fromage, 
se le laisser fair e, and laisser tout 
faire) ; larder (R.) ; lever la 
chemise (la cotte, le cul, le devant, 
or son droif) ; levretter (R.) ; 
Her son boudin ; loger les 
aveugles (or les nus) ; lutter. 
Manger de la chair criie (or de la 
viande de Vendredi) ; manier ; 
manipuler ; margauder (R. ) ; 
mar j oiler (R.); marteler ; le 
METTRE, se mettre & la besogne, cl 
la juchte, a fouvrage, chair vive 
en chair vive ; mettre dedans, en 
besogne, en ozuvre, en presse, 
andouille aupot, la charrue devant 
les bcsujs, la queue entre les 
jambes ; le corps en presse, ses reins 
en besogne, un membre dans un 
autre ; mettre du lard en botiteille ; 
"nonter (also monter d Vassant or 
sur la bete) ; moudre (GRIND, 
q.v. ); mouvoir des reins. Nego- 
cier ; niguer (R.)- Obliger ; 
officier ; ourser. Paffer ; pail- 
larder (ViLLON) ; parler ; PASSER 
le pas, les detroits, par la par les 
mains, par les piques, par V Ma- 
mine, sa fantaisie, son appttit, 
son envie, and sur le ventre ; payer 
la bienvenue (also les arrtrages de 
f amour, son tcot, or la com^die ft 
Ferdinand} ; pcher ; percer ; 
piner (cf. TO JOCK, TO COCK, TO 



PRICK) ; planter (des homines ou 
des femmes : also le cresson and 
le mat) ; pousser un argument 
naturel et irresistible (also sa 
pointe, faventure b, bout, or une 
moulure] ; polluer ; pamper (R.) ; 
ponifler ; pourvoir ; PRENDRE 
chamelle Hesse, le dtduit, le 
pdture, le passe-temps, le provandc, 
ses Ibats (LA FONTAINE), ses 
rafraichissements, son dtduit, son 
dtlit, son plaisir, soulas, or une 
poignte ; prier ; promiscuiter j 
putasser. Quiller (R.) J quouail- 
ler (R.)- Raccointer (R.); ^- 
coutrer ; ralentir sa braise ; ramo- 
ner (R.); rataconniculer (R.); 
ratisser ; rec,evoir un clyster e (also 
une lefon, or Passaut : of women 
or pathics) ; recogner (also recoig- 
ner) ; recueillir la jouissance 
(also le fruit d' amour) ; rtgaler ; 
rehausser le linge (LA FONTAINE); 
se rejouir ; rembourrer ; remuet 
le croupion (R.) ; rcmpdler ; 
remuer (BERANGER : also remuer 
les f esses, or les reins'] ; rendre le 
devoir ; repasser ; retaper ; retour 
de matines (LA FONTAINE) ; 
ribauder ; rire ; river le bis ; 
rompre un lance ; rouscailler (&.) ; 
roussiner (R.)- Sabouler (R.') ; 
saccader (R.) ; sacrificitr (of 
women) ; saigner entre deux orteils 
(R. ) ; saillir (R. ) ; sangler (R. ) ; 
se satisfaire (also satisfaire & 
son plaisir) ; se faire sauter ; 
sauter ; savonner (also donner 
une savonnade) ; secouer ( = TO 
SHAKE : also secouer le pelisson) ; 
seutir douceur (also sentir de la 
volupte) ; stringuer ; serrer ; 
servir (LA FONTAINE : also se 
servir); solacier ; sender ; sonner 
V antiquaille ; soufflcr en cul; 
souler la volontt ; soumettre (also 
soumettre d ses dtsirs} ; supposer. 
Tabourer (also tabourder : O. Fr. 
= battre du tambour : R.) ; tocher 
(BERANGER) ; talocher (R.) j 



Ride. 



26 



Ride. 



tamiser (R.) ; tantarer (R.); 
tarabuster ; tdter (also tdter de la 
chair or la sauce) ; tfter ; ther- 
mome'triser ; TIRER a la cordelle, 
au blanc, au naturel, sa lance, 
son plaisir, du nerf^ une venue 
(R. ) ; TOMBER, a la renverse, and 
sur le dos ; toucher (LA FON- 
TAINE); tracasser ; trafarcier ; 
travailler (also travailler a la 
vigne or du cut} ; trousser (BE- 
RANGETR). User. Vendanger ; 
VENIR (en); venir a I'abordage, 
au choc ; en venir aufait, or aux 
prises ; venir la ; ventouser ; 
ventrouiller ; verger; ver miner 
(R.) ; vervignoler (R.); vttiller 
(R. ) ; vitceuvrer ; voir. Ziguer. 

c.1520. Mayd Emlyn [HAZLITT, Pop. 
Poet., iv. 96]. And bycause she loued 
RYDYNGE, At thestewes was her abydynge. 

[ ]. MS. [Bodleian, 548]. The 

hares haveth no seson of hure love, that as 
I sayde is clepid RYDYNG-TYME. 

^.1529. SKELTON, Bowge of Courte, 
400. I let her to hyre, that men maye on 
her RYDE. 

c.iS42. D. LYNDSAY, On Jos. V. his 
Three Mistresses. RYD not on your Oli- 
fauntes, For hurting of thy Geir. 

1598. FLORID, Worlde of IVordes, 
s.v. Baiarda, a common, filthie, ouer- 
RIDDEN whore. 

1599. SHAKSPEARE, Henry V., iii. 7, 
60. They that RIDE so and RIDE not 
warily. 

1607. WEBSTER and DEKKER, West- 
ward Hoe, ii. 2. You know gentlewomen 
used to come to lords' chambers, and not 
lords to the gentlewomen's : I'd not have 
her think you are such a rank RIDER. 

1611. CHAPMAN, May-Day, i. i. I 
have heard of wenches that have been won 
with singing and dancing, and some with 
RIDING, but never heard of any that was 
won with tumbling in my life. 

c. 1618-19. FLETCHER, Mad Lover, iv. 
5. He RIDES like a nightmare, all ages, 
all conditions. Ibid., 1637 [?], Elder 
Brother, iv. 4. He'll RIDE you the better, 
Lily. 



c. 1620-50. Percy Folio MS., 200, ' Lye 
Alone.' If dreames be true, then RIDE I 
can : I lacke nothing but a man, for tis 
onlye hee can ease my moane. 

^1621. BURTON, Anat. Melan., III. 
in. i. 2. The adulterer sleeping now was 
RIDING on his master's saddle. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, i. iii. 
If you find any . . . females worth the 
pains . . . get up, RIDE upon them. 

1656. FLETCHER, Martiall, xi. 105. 
The Phrygian Boyes in secret spent their 
seed As oft as Hector's wife RID on his 
steed. 

1656. Muses Recr. [HOTTEN], 74. A 
smooth and gentle hand keeps women 
more in awe of due command Than if we 
set a ganneril on their Docks, RIDE them 
with bits, or on their Geer set locks. 

1692. DRYDEN, Juvenal, 'Tenth 
Satire ' (Ed. 3, 1702, p. 218). How many 
Boys that Pedagogue can RIDE. 

17 [?]. Old Scots' Song, ' Heigh for 
Bread and Cream.' She poppit into bed, 
And I popp't in beside her ; She lifted up 
her leg, And I began to RIDE her. 

1772. BRIDGES, Homer Burlesque, 
127. More than nine long tedious years 
Paris has RODE my brother's gear. 

1786. BURNS, The Inventory. Frae 
this time forth I do declare, I'se ne'er 
RIDE horse nor hizzie mair. 

.1796. MORRIS, Plenipotentiary, 13. 
She had been well RID. 

.1796. Old Scots' Song, ' Ye'se get a 
Hole to Hide it in.' [FARMER, Merry 
Songs and Ballads (1897), iv. 269]. O 
baud it in your hand, sir, Till I get up my 
claes, Now RIDE me, as you'd ride for life. 

2. (old). To rob on the high- 
way. 

1605. London Prodigal, v. i. It is 
well known I might have RID out a hun- 
dred times if I would 

PHRASES. To RIDE AND TIE 
see quot. 1742) ; TO RIDE THE 
FRINGES (see quot. ^.1787); TO 
RIDE AS IF FETCHING THE MID- 
WIFE = to go post haste ; TO 
RIDE OUT = to adopt the pro- 
fession of arms. See BACK; 
BLACK DONKEY ; BODKIN ; 
BROSE ; COWLSTAFF ; GRUB ; 



Rider. 



Riff-raff. 



HOLBORN HILL ; HIGH-HORSE ; 
HOBBY-HORSE ; MARYLEBONE 
STAGE ; ROMFORD ; ROUGH- 
SHOD ; SPANISH MARE ; STANG ; 
WILD-MARE. 

1383. CHAUCER, Cant. Tales, Gen. 
Prol., 45. A knight ther was . . . That 
fro the time that he firste began To RIDEN 
out, he loved chevalrie. 

1737. BOSWELL, Johnson, \. v. note. 
Both used to talk pleasantly of this their 
first journey to London. Garrick . . . 
said one day in my hearing, ' We RODE 

AND TIED.' 

1742. FIELDING, Joseph A ndrews, ii. 
2. They . . . agreed TO RIDE AND TIE 
. . . The two ... set out together, one 
on horseback, the other on foot : he on 
horseback . . . when he arrives at the 
distance agreed on ... is to dismount, 
TIE his horse to some gate, tree, post . . . 
and then proceed on foot ; when the other 
comes up to the horse, he unties him, 
mounts, and gallops on ; till having passed 
by his fellow traveller, he likewise arrives 
at the place of TYING. 

.1787. Ireland Sixty Years Ago 
(1847), 51. To guard themselves from en- 
croachment, the citizens from time im- 
memorial perambulated the boundaries of 
their chartered district every third year, 
and this was termed riding their franchises, 
corrupted into RIDING THE FRINGES. 

RIDER, subs, (common). A question 
or clause added to a geometrical 
problem, an Act of Parliament, 
an examination paper, &c. 

1852. DICKENS, Bleak House, xxxix. 
Vholes finally adds, by way of RIDER to 
this declaration of his principles . . . per- 
haps Mr. C. will favour him with an order 
on his agent. 

1885. Report of Com. of Council on 
Education in Scotland for 1884, 285. 
They showed a very satisfactory know- 
ledge of Euclid's propositions, and a very 
creditable porportion of students worked a 
considerable number of the RIDERS. 

2. See RIDE, verb. i. 

3. (old). A Dutch coin with 
a man on horseback, worth about 
twenty-seven shillings : also a 
Scots gold piece issued by Tames 
VI. 



1647. FLETCHER, Woman's Prize, 
i, 2. His mouldy money! Half a 
dozen RIDERS, That cannot sit, but stampt 
fast to their saddles. 

4. (old). A commercial travel- 
ler; a BAGMAN (q.V.). 

1810. CRABBE, Borough, iv. The 
come to us as RIDERS in a trade. 

1825. LAMB, Letters, cxii. A RIDER 
in his youth, travelling for shops. 

RIDGE (or REDGE), stibs. (old). 
Gold : manufactured or specie : 
in latter case specifically = a 
guinea. Whence, RIDGE-MONTRA 
= a gold watch ; CLY FULL OF 
RIDGE = a pocket-full of money ; 
RIDGE-CULLY = a goldsmith. 
B. E. (^.1696) ; PARKER (1781) ; 
GROSE (1785) ; VAUX (1812). 

RIDICULOUS, adj. (provincial). See 
quot. 1847. 

1847. HALLIWELL, Archaic . . . 
Words, &c.,s.v. RIDICULOUS . . . Some- 
thing very indecent and improper is under- 
stood ; as, any violent attack upon a 
woman's chastity is called " very RIDICU- 
LOUS behaviour :" a very disorderly, and 
ill-conducted house, is also called a 
"RIDICULOUS one." 

1889. Notes and Queries, ^ S., ix. 
453. A man once informed me that the 
death by drowning of a relative was most 

RIDICULOUS. 

RIDING-HAG, subs.phr. (colloquial). 
The night-mare : also THE 

RIDING OF THE WITCH. 

RIFF-RAFF (RAFF or RAFFLE), subs. 
(old). I. Refuse, lumber; (2) 
the mob: spec. (Oxford Univ.) 
TOWN (q.v.) as opposed to GOWN 
(q.v.), or vice versd; and (3) 
booty : as adj. = worthless. 
Whence RAFF-MERCHANT = a 
marine-store dealer ; RAFFISH = 
disreputable ; RAFFISHNESS = 
scampishness. As verb. RAFF (or 
RAFFLE) = to live filthily, to PIG 
IT (q.v.). RAFFLE-COFFIN = ' a 
ruffian, ribald fellow.' B. E. 
(^.1696); GROSE (i 785). 



Rifle. 



28 



Rig. 



d.i-210. M APES, Appendix, 340. Maken 
of the rym and RAFF Suche gy lours for 
pompe and pride. 

c.i 337. MANNING, TV. French Poem 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng. , i. 21. The French 
words are quash . . . RIFF AND RAFF]. 

i4f?]. MS. [Lincoln, A. i. 17, fol. 
148]. Ilk a manne agayne his gud he 
gaffe, That he had tane with RYFE AND 

RAFFE. 

1531-47. COPLAND, Spyttel Hous 
[HAZLITT, Pop. Poet., iv. 41]. And euer 
haunteth among such RYF RAF. 

1611. FLORID, Ital. Diet. Gentaglia, 
common or base, RIFFE-RAFFE, the scum 
of the earth, the base multitude of common 
people. Ibid. Ciarpance, RIFF-RAFF, 
luggage, trash. 

^.1677. BARROW, Unity of the Church. 
The synod of Trent was convened to settle 
a RAFF of errors and superstitions. 

1709. HEARNE, Diary, 10 Sept. He 
has his RIFF-RAFF notes upon Lycophron. 

1847. THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, 
xxix. There is no town of any mark in 
Europe but it has its little colony of 
English RAFFS. 

1851. MAYHEW, Lond. Lab., i. 325. 
' People, you see,' he said, ' wont buy 
their "accounts" of RAFF; they won't 
have them of any but respectable people. ' 

1884. CLARK RUSSELL, Jack's Court- 
ship, xvii. Her main deck was a surface 
of straw, dirt, wet, and what sailors call 

RAFFLE. 

1886. D. Tel., i Ap. Shipping all 
sorts of sea-faring RIFF-RAFF. 

1888. KIPLING, Departmental 
Ditties, 'The Galley." And the topsmen 
clear the RAFFLE. 

RIFLE, verb, (venery). To grope 
or possess a woman : see RIDE. 

1620. PERCY, Folio MS., p. 194. 
Then lets imbrace and RIFFLE and trifle. 

RlG, subs., adj.) and verb. (old). 
i. Generic for wantonness. As 
subs. = (i) a wanton (also RIG- 
MUTTON and RIGSBY) ; (2) a 
drinking or wenching bout ; (3) 
anything dubious, as a knock-out, 
a cross fight, a . cheat ; (4) an 
unscrupulous person ; and (5) a 
half -or whole gelding (see quots. 



1647 and 1678). As verb. = (i) 
to play the wanton ; (2) TO 
SPREE (y.v.); (3) to trick, to 
steal ; and (4) to ride pick-a- 
back. Hence RIGGISH = wanton ; 
RIGOLAGE = wantonness ; TO 
RUN (PLAY or CARRY) A RIG 
= to play fast-and-loose ; TO RIG 
THE MARKET = to raise or depress 
prices for one's private advantage : 
hence to swindle ; UP TO THE 
RIGS = expert, wide-awake, FLY 
(q.v.). GROSE (1785). 

c.1320. Cursor Mundi, MS. Coll. 
Trin.j Cantab., f. i. In ryot and in RIGO- 
LAGE Spende mony her youthe and her 
age. 

1551. STILL, Gammer Gurton's 
Needle [DODSLEY, Old Plays (REED), ii. 
43. Nay, fy on thee, thou rampe, thou 
RYG, with al that take thy part. 

1557. TUSSER, Husbandrie, Sept., 
39. Some prowleth for fewel, and some 
away RIG Fat goose and the capon. 

1570. LEVINS, Manip. Vocab,, 119. 
To RIGGE, lasciuire puellam. 

1598. FLORIO, Worlde of Wordes, 
s.v. Galluta, a cockish, wanton, or RIGGISH 
wench. Ibid. Mocci'acca ... a RIGGE, 
a harlot. 

1608. SHAKSPEARJE, Antony and 
Cleopatra, ii. 2. For vilest things Become 
themselves in her ; that the holy priests 
Bless her when she is RIGGISH. 

1647. FLETCHER, Women Pleased, 
ii. 6. A pox o' yonder old RIGEL. 

1650. FULLER, Pisgah Light, iv. vi. 
Let none condemn them [the girls] for RIGS 
because thus hoyting with the boys. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, in. ix. 
The mad-pate REEKS of Bedlam. 

1678. COTTON, Virgil Travestie 
[ Works (1725), 64]. I hate a base cowardly 
Drone, Worse than a RIGIL with one 
Stone. 

1739. DUKE OF MONTAGUE [quoted 
by Theodore Hook in Odd People, 
'An Honest Practical Joke']. "Now 
all my wig-singeing, and nose-blacking 
exploits, will be completely outdone by the 
RIG [that was the favorite word in the year 
1739] I shall run upon this unhappy devil 
with the tarnished lace." 



Rig. 



29 



Right. 



1775. Old Song, ' The Potato Man ' 
[FARMER, Musa Pedestris (1896), 55]. 
I'm up to all your knowing RIGS. 

1782. COWPER, John Gilpin, 25. He 
little dreamt when he set out Of RUNNING 
such a RIG. 

1823. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, 
ii. 6. We haven't had a better job a long 
vile nor the shabby genteel lay. That, 
and the civil RIG told in a pretty penny. 

1836. MARRYAT, Japhet, ii. Some- 
times I carry on my RIGS a little too far. 

1837. DICKENS, Pickwick (1857), 
351. One expressed his opinion that it 
was " a RIG," and the other his conviction 
that it was "a go." 

1848. LOWELL, Biglow Papers, . . . 
Who ever'd ha' thought sech A pisonous 
RIG Would be RUN by a chap thet wuz 
chose fer a Wig? 

1857-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., iii. 
144. You're up to the RIGS of this hole ; 
come to my hole you can't play there ! 

1851. Chamber's Journal, xv. 103. 
A pawnbroker contributes the linen, an 
exuberant quantity of which is generally 
one of the characteristics of the RIG Sale. 

1855. TOM TAYLOR, Still Waters 
[DICKS], 13. We must RIG THE MARKET. 
Go in and buy up every share that's 
offered. 

1892. Pall Mall Gaz., 28 Oct., 6, 2. 
Mr. Burr, without the knowledge of Mr. 
Westmacott, issued underwriting agree- 
ments, and proceeded to ... RIG THE 

MARKET. 

1892. HENLEY and STEVENSON, 
Deacon Brodie, I. vii. That's the RIG, 
Deacon. 

1901. D. Telegraph, 29 April, 4, 4. 
He never thought of RUNNING such A RIG 
as that which caused his appearance before 
Mr. Sheil, at Westminster Police-court, on 
Saturday. Ibid,, 21 Dec., 2, 7. Yesterday 
the RIG in Scotch pig-iron collapsed. 

2. (common). Dress ; style : 
whence = a turn-out, or outfit : 
also RIG-OUT and RIGGING. As 
verb = to equip ; RIGGED = 
dressed ; TO RIG A BLOSS = to 
strip a wench ; RUM RIGGING 
= fme clothes. B. E. (^.1696); 
GROSE (1785). 

1594. NASHE, Unf. Traveller \.Wks. 
v. 164]. Her wardrop was richly RIGD. 



1625. JONSON, Staple of News, ii. i. 
? A wr",*? 1 RIGGED sir 5 setting forth some 
lady Will cost as much as furnishing a fleet. 

1639. MASSINGER, Unnatural Com- 
bat, iv. 2. But if you will look on the 
malecontent Belgarde, ne-.vly RIGG'D UP, 
with the train that follows him, 'twill be 
an object worthy of your noting. 

1677. WYCHERLEY, Plain Dealer, 
iv. i. You shall see how I RIGGED my 
squire OUT, with the remains of my ship- 
wrecked wardrobe. 

1709. CENTLIVRE, Busie Body, ii. 
Buy a Lady's Favour at the Price of a 
thousand Pieces, to RIG OUT an Equipage 
for a Wench. 

1729. GAY, Polly, i. 2. She is in 
most charming RIGGING ; she won't cost 
you a penny, Sir, in cloaths at first setting 
out. 

1757. FOOTE, Author, i. He's very 
young, and exceedingly well RIGGED. 

1789. PARKER, Life's Painter, 62. 
We shortly after RIGGED her with an entire 
new and very neat change of wearables. 

1818. BYRON, Beppo, v. Such as in 
Monmouth Street, or in Rag Fair, would 
RIG you OUT in seriousness or joke. 

1823. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, 
5. This toggery will never fit you must 
have a new RIG-OUT. 

1878. BESANT & RICE, By Celia's 
Arbour, ch. ix. I was saluted in the 
street it was on the Hard by a tall and 
good-looking young sailor, in his naval 
RIG, the handiest ever invented. 

1899. WHITEING, John St., xvii. A 
fad every week at the 'osiers shops . . . 
and ... a new RIG-OUT for every fad. 

RlGGEN. TO RIDE THE RIGGEN, 
verb. phr. (provincial). To be 
very intimate. 

RIGGER, subs. (Durham School), 
A racing boat. 

RIGHT, adj. and adv. (old collo- 
quial). Very ; just ; quite. 
COLLOQUIALISMS are numerous : 
RIGHT AS RAIN (AS NINEPENCE, 
MY LEG, ANYTHING, A FIDDLE, 
TRIVET, &c.) = absolutely de- 
pendable ; TO RIGHTS = com- 



Right. 



Right. 



pletely to one's satisfaction ; 
RIGHT THERE = on the spot ; 
RIGHT GREAT = very much ; 
RIGHT NOW = instanter ; RIGHT 

SO = just SO ; TO DO ONE RIGHT 

(or REASON) = (i) to do justice, 
and (2) to pledge in drinking ; 
RIGHT OUT = to a finish ; RIGHT 
DOWN = downright ; RIGHT 
SMART = extremely clever; RIGHT 
AWAY (OUT, or STRAIGHT), 
RIGHT OFF (HERE or OUT) = 
immediately; TO TURN (or SEND) 

TO THE RIGHT-ABOUT = to dis- 

miss ; RIGHT YOU ARE = a com- 
plete acquiescence ; ALL RIGHT 
= certainly, O. K. (GROSE) ; A 
BIT OF ALL RIGHT = extremely 
good ; RIGHT ALONG = at these 
presents ; RIGHT UP TO THE 
HANDLE = excellent ; TO DO (or 
HAVE) ONE TO RIGHTS = to serve 
one out ; TO SET TO RIGHTS = 
to put in order ; RIGHT ON = 
entirely, straightforward ; RIGHT 
FORTH = straight ; BY GOOD 
RIGHTS = it should be so ; RIGHT 
ROYAL = drunk. See LEG. 

^.1307. Rel. Antiq., ii. 19. As RYT 

AS RAMIS ORN. 

1340. Gamelyn [OLIPHANT, New 
Eng., i. 39. Men dress (set) things TO- 
RIGHTES ; this adverb (few recognise it) is 
the source of our setting things TO RIGHTS]. 

1350. William ofPalerne [E.E.T.S.], 
3066. The quen er the day was dight wel 
TO RIGHTES Hendli in that hynde-skin as 
swiche bestes were. Ibid., 4268. Sche 
swalt for sorwe and swoned RIT THERE. 

1356. MANDEVILLE, Travels, 181. 
And he hem turnethe alle the Firmament 
RIGHTE as dothe a Wheel that turneth be 
his Axille Tree. 

1383. CHAUCER, Cant. Tales, 3629 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng., i. 127. There are 
new phrases like RIGHT (just) NOW . . .]. 

c.1440. Merlin [E. E. T. S.], ii. 129. 
Thei asked yef thei hadde grete haste; 
and thei ansuerde, ' Ye, RIGHT GRETE.' 

.1450. Knight of La Tour-Landry 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng., i. 284. We have 
RIGHT so ... where we now s&yjust so}. 



d. 1460. LYDGATE [MS. Harl. , 172, 71], 
Conveyde by lyne RYGHT AS A RAMMES 
HORNE. 

^.1529. SKELTON, Why Come Ye Not, 
&c. ? 86. Do ryght and doe no wronge, 

As RYGHT AS A RAMMES HORNE. Ibid., 

Speke Parrot, 498. So myche raggyd 

RYGHTE OF A RAMMES HORNE. Ibid., 

Colyn Cloute, 1200. They say many 
matters ar born Be hyt RYGHTE AS A 

RAMBES HORN. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, 2 Henry IV., v. 
3. Why now you have DONE ME RIGHT. 
Ibid. (1609), Tempest, iv. i. 101. And be 
a boy RIGHT OUT. 

1605. SYLVESTER, Du Bartas, ii. 
I doo adiure thee (O great King) by all 
That in the World we sacred count or call, 
To DOE ME RIGHT. 

1607. W[ENTWORTH] S[MITH], Puri- 
tan, i. i. He was my brother, as RIGHT 

AS RIGHT. 

1612-5. HALL, Contentp. [TEGG], v. 
176. A prudent circumlocution which 
RIGHT DOWN would not be digested. 

1622. FLETCHER, Beggar's Bust, ii. 
3. 'Tis freely spoken, noble burgomaster 

I'll DO YOU RIGHT. 

1624. MASSINGER, Bondman, ii. 3. 
These glasses contain nothing ; DO ME 
RIGHT As e'er you hope for liberty. 

1663. TUKE, Adv. Five Hours 
[DODSLEY, Old Plays (REED), xii. 26], 
Your master's health, sir I'LL DO YOU 
REASON, sir. 

1703. FARQUHAR, Inconstant, ii. 2. 
Oh, pardon me, sir, you shall DO ME 
RIGHT . . . Now, sir, can you drink a 
health. 

1726. SWIFT, Gulliver's Travels, n. 
viii. They let the hulk drop into the sea, 
which by reason of many breaches made 
in the bottom and sides, sunk TO RIGHTS. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 26. God knows if his heart lay in 
the RIGHT place. 

18 [?]. HUMPHREYS, Yankee in Eng- 
land. Aunt. Bring back an answer, 
quick. Doolittle. In a jiffing, I'll be back 
TO RIGHTS. 

1842. DICKENS, American Notes, ii. 
I now saw that "RIGHT AWAY" and 
"directly" meant the same thing. Ibid. 
(1854), Hard Times, iv. TURN this girl 
TO THE RIGHT-ABOUT, and there's an end 
of it. 



Right-abouts. 



Rigmarole. 



1855. TAYLOR, Still Waters, ii. 2. 
'How are you?' . . . 'RIGHT AS A 
TRIVET, my prince of prospectus mongers. 

1856. STOWE, Dred, i. 209. She had 
RIGHT SMART of life in her, and was always 
RIGHT BUSY 'tending to something or 
other. Ibid., i. Get the carriage out for 

me RIGHT AWAY. 

1856. "WEBSTER, Correspondence, i. 
339. We will shut ourselves up in the 
office and do the work RIGHT OFF. 

1857. OLMSTED, Texas, 301. Each 
man's ration consisting of a pint of mouldy 
corn and a RIGHT SMART chunk of bacon. 

1876. MACAULAY, Life and Letters, 
i. 235. I guess I must answer him RIGHT 
slick AWAY. 

1882. McCABE, New York, xliii. 570 
Take hold of it, my boy, RIGHT NOW. 

1883. HAWLEY SMART, At Fault, 
in. viii. 125. " RIGHT YOU ARE, Dickin- 
son," replied Mr. Usher, rubbing his hands 
softly. 

1899. WHITEING, John Street, ix. If 
yer want to get it TO RIGHTS. Ibid., xviii. 
He is simply ' RIGHT ' from top to toe. 



RIGHT-ABOUTS (THE), subs, (mili- 
tary). The Gloucestershire Regi- 
ment. Also ' ' The Old Braggs " ; 
"The Slashers"; and "The 
Whitewashes." 



RIGHT- EYE (or HAND). MY RIGHT- 
EYE ITCHES, phr. (old colloquial). 
See quot. 

1708-10. SWIFT, Polite Conversation, 
iii. Lady Answ. And MY RIGHT EYE 
ITCHES ; I shall cry. Ibid. Lady Smart. 
And MY RIGHT HAND ITCHES ; I shall 
receive Money. 



RIGHT-HANDER, subs. phr. (pugi- 
lists'). A hit with the right 
hand. 

1857. HUGHES, Tom Brown's School- 
days, ii. 5. Tom gets . . . deposited on 
the grass by a RIGHT-HANDER from the 
Slogger. 



RIGHT-SIDE. To RISE ON THE 
RIGHT-SIDE, verb. phr. (old). _ 
A happy augury : c f. WRONG 
SIDE (q.v.) of the bed. 

1607. MARSTON, WJiat you Will 
[Works (1633), sig. Rb]. You RISE ON 
YOUR RIGHT SIDE to-day, marry. 

1614. Terence in English [NARES]. 

C. What doth shee keepe house alreadie ? 

D. Alreadie. C. O good God : WE ROSE 

ON THE RIGHT SIDE to-day. 

.1620. FLETCHER, Women Pleased , i. 
[end of act]. 

1633. MACHIN, Dumb Knight, iv. i. 
Sure I said my prayers, RIS'D ON MY RIGHT 
SIDE . . . No hare did cross me, nor no 
bearded witch, Nor other ominous sign. 

RIGHT-SORT, subs. phr. (old). 
Gin : see WHITE SATIN. The 
Fancy (1820). 

RIGHTEOUS, adj. (colloquial). An 
inverted appreciation : e.g., a 
RIGHTEOUS (i.e., fine) as distin- 
guished from a WICKED (q.v.) 
day, &c. : cf. RELIGIOUS. 

MORE HOLY THAN RIGHTEOUS, 

phr. (common). Applied to a 
tattered garment or person. 

RIGMAROLE, subs, (colloquial). A 
tedious story ; twaddle ; a rambling 
statement : also RAGMAN ROLL, 

RIG-MY-ROLL, and RIG-MAROLE. 
As adj. = roundabout, nonsensical 
(GROSE). [A corruption of RAG- 
MAN ROLL i.e., the Devil's Roll : 
cf. RAGEMAN applied apparently 
to any document containing many 
details; also to an old game in 
which a parchment roll played a 
part.] 



^.1529. 

[DvCE, i. 420], 1490. I did what I cowde 
to scrape out the scrollis, Apollo to rase 
out of her RAGMAN ROLLIS. 

1533. Pardoner and Frere [HALLI- 
WELL]. Mayster parson, I marvayll ye 
wyll gyve lycenc To this false knave . . . 
To publish his RAGMAN ROLLES with lyes. 



Rigol. 



Ring. 



^.1556. UDALL [SMYTH PALMER]. A 
RAGMAN'S REWK ... we call a long geste 
that railleth on any person by name or 
toucheth a bodyes honesty somewhat near. 

1753. RICHARDSON, Sir Chas. 
Grandison, iv. iv. You must all of you 
go in one RIG-MY-ROLL way, in one beaten 
track. 

1757. FOOTE, Author, ii. You are 
always running on with your RIGGMON- 
ROWLES, and won't stay to hear a body's 
story out. 

1874. MRS. H. WOOD, Johnny Lud- 
low, ist S., No. xii., 203. Mrs. Blair has 
been writing us a strange RIGMAROLE, 
which nobody can make head or tail of. 

RlGOL (or RiG\L).See RIG, suds. I. 

RILE (ROIL or ROYLE), verb. (old). 
To vex ; to irritate ; to disturb. 
Hence RILY = cross-grained ; 
RILEMENT = ill temper. [Origi- 
nally = to make turbid.] Fr. 
cavalcr (or COM ir) sur le haricot. 

1656-8. GURNALL, Christian in 
A rtnour, in. 296. There are dregs enough 
within to ROYLE and distemper the spirit. 

1740. NORTH, Exanten, 359. The 
lamb down stream ROILED the wolfs water 
above. Ibid., Lives of the Norths, i. 415. 
He took a turn or two in his dining room 
and said nothing, by which I perceived 
that his spirits were very much ROILED. 

1843. DICKENS, Chuzzlewit, xxi. 
My feller critters . . . RILE up rough, 
along of my objecting to their selling Eden 
off too cheap. 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life, 64. I 
gin to sit RILEY. Ibid., 31. RILE him up, 
and sot his liver workin ? 

1848. LOWELL, Biglow Papers, . . . 
We begin to think it's natur To take sarse 
and not be RILED. 

1849. THACKERAY, Pendennis, Ixiv. 
What vexed and " RILED " him (to use his 
own expression) was the infernal indiffer- 
ence and cowardly ingratitude of Clavering. 

1883. Sat. Rev., 13 Jan., 42, 2. It 
is not surprising that . . . they [his 
speeches] " RILED " some of Sir Charles's 
political friends not a little. But it was 
perhaps a little surprising that the RILE- 
MENT was so little manifested among Sir 
Charles's audiences. 



RiMBLE-RAMBLE, subs. phr. (old). 

Nonsense : as adj. nonsen- 
sical. 

1690. Pagan Prince [NARES]. The 
greatest part of the task was only RIMBLE- 
RAMBLE discourse. 

RINDER, subs. (Queen's University). 
An outsider. 



RlNER, TO SHED RINERS WITH A 

WHAVER, verb. phr. (old). To 
cap ; to surpass. 

RING, subs, (venery). I. The fe- 
male pudendum : also HAIRY 
RING, HANS CARVELS RING 
(q.v.) and BLACK-RING. Hence 
CRACKED (or CLIPPED) IN THE 
RING = seduced. 

1597. LYLY, Woman in Moon, iii. 2. 
Lear. Will Pandora be thus light? Gun. 
If she were twenty graines lighter I would 
not refuse her, provided alwayes She be 

CLIPT WITHIN THE RING. 

1613. BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, 
Captain. Come to be married to my lady's 
woman, After she's CRACK'D IN THE RING. 

1622. ATLEY, Book of Airs, s.v. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, m. 
xxviii. Never fail to have continually the 
RING of thy wife's Commodity upon thy 
ringer. 

1660. WATSON, Cheerful Airs, s.v. 

c.1700. PRIOR, Hans Carvel. Hans 
took the RING . . . And, thrusting it 
beyond his joint, ' 'Tis done, he cry'd "... 
' What's done, you drunken bear, You've 
thrust your finger God knows where ! ' 

2. (colloquial). A place set 
apart for, or a concourse engaged 
in, some specific object : as 
(racing) = (i) an enclosure used 
for betting, and (2) the book- 
makers therein ; (pugilists') = (3) 
the circle, square, or parallelo- 
gram within which a fight takes 
place : hence THE PRIZE RING 
= the world of pugilists ; (horse- 



Ring. 



33 



Ring. 



dealers') = (4) the space within 
which horses are exhibited at fair, 
market, or auction ; (general) = 
(5) a combination for controlling 
a market or political measure ; in 
America a TRUST. B. E. (c. 
1696) ; GROSE (1785). Hence 

RINGMAN^a BOOKMAKER (y.V.). 

1705. FARQUHAR, Twin Rivals, i. i. 
I fly at nobler game ; THE RING, the 
Court, Pawlett's and the Park. 

1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 57. 
Ruffian'd the reeling youngsters round the 
RING. 

1822. SCOTT, Fortunes of Nigel, ii. 
Cold water and . . . vinegar applied . . . 
by the bottle-holders in a modern RING. 

1845. DISRAELI, Sybil, i. ii. 'Will 
any one do anything about Hybiscus?' 
sang out a gentleman in the RING at 
Epsom. 

1848. THACKERAY, Vanity^ Fair, xix. 
One day, in THE RING, Rawdon's Stanhope 
came in sight. 

1855. TAYLOR, Still Waters, ii. i. 
I should have done better to have stuck 
by Tattersall's and the Turf. The RING 
are sharp fellows. 

1857. LAWRENCE, Guy Livingstone, 
ix. No RINGMEN to force the betting and 
deafen you with their blatant proffers. 

1871. Manchester Guardian, 23 Dec. 
' American RINGS and Lobbyists.' The 
modern political RING he described as a 
combination of selfish bad men, formed for 
their own pecuniary advancement. 

1877. Nation, xiii. 333 [Century]. 
A [political] RING is, in its common form, 
a small number of persons who get posses- 
sion of an administrative machine, and 
distribute the offices or other good things 
connected with it among a band of fellows, 
of greater or less dimensions, who agree to 
divide with them whatever they make. 

1888. D. Chronicle, 12 July. The 
victory was very popular, and by the 
success of Satiety the RING sustained a 
severe blow. 

3. (old). ' Money extorted by 
Rogues on the High-way, or by 
Gentlemen Beggers.' B. E. 
(^.1696); GROSE (1785). 

Verb, (common). i. To ma- 
nipulate ; spec, to change : 
e.%., TO RING CASTORS = to ex- 
change hats (GROSE) ; TO RING 



THE CHANGES = (i) to Substitute 

bad money for good ; and (2) so 
to bustle that change is given 
wrong. GROSE (1785) ; VAUX 
(1812). 

1678. BUTLER, Hudibras, HI. iii. 
The skill To wind and manage it at will 
. . . And RING THE CHANGES upon cases. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 4. The CHANGES were just be- 
ginning TO RING upon some new subject. 

1828. BEE, Liv. Pict. London, 45. 
Jarvis . . . after turning your money over 
and over . . . declares they ring bad, and 
you must change them for good ones. If 
you appear tolerably 'soft,' and will 
'stand it,' he perhaps refuses these also, 
after having RUNG THE CHANGES once 
more. This is called a double do. 

2. (thieves'). See quot. 

1863. Cornhill Mag. , vii. 91. When 
housebreakers are disturbed and have to 
abandon their plunder they say that they 
have RUNG themselves. 

3. (Australian). To patrol 
cattle by riding round and round 
them. Also TO RING UP. 

4. (American). To create a 
disturbance; TO RACKET (q.v.\ 

5. (old). To talk: spec, to 
scold : of women. GROSE. 

PHRASES. To RING THE 
HORSESHOES (tailors') = to wel- 
come a man returning from a 
drinking bout ; TO GO THROUGH 
THE RING = to go bankrupt, 
to be WHITEWASHED (q.v.) ; TO 
RING IN (American) = (i) to 
quote ; to implicate, (2) to get the 
better of, (3) in gaming, to add 
to (or substitute) cards in a pack 
surreptitiously : whence TO RING 
IN A COLD DECK = to substitute 
a prepared pack of cards ; 
CRACKED IN THE RING = (i) 
flawed; (2) see subs., sense i ; 
TO COME ON THE RING = to 
take one's turn ; TO TAKE THE 

MANTLE AND RING = to VOW per- 

petual widowhood. 



Ring-dropper. 



34 



Rip. 



<f.i4oo. CHAUCER, Good Women, 1887. 
Judge infernal Mynos . . . Now cometh 
thy lotte ! now COMESTOWON THE RYNGE. 

....]. Gesta. Grayorum, ' Progr. of 
Eliz. ,'ii. 54. His highness* master of the 
ordnance claimes to have all peeces gul'd 
in the touch-hole or broken WITHIN THE 

RINGE. 

1596. SHAKSPEARE, Hamlet '; ii. 2, 
448. Pray God your voice, like a piece of 
uncurrent gold, be not CRACK'D WITHIN 

THE RING. 

1632. JONSON, Magnetic Lady. 
Light gold, and CRACK'D WITHIN THE 
RING. [This quot. also illustrates sense i. ] 

1887. FRANCIS, Saddle and Mocassin. 
Between them they RUNG IN A COLD DECK 
in a faro-box. 

1889. LESTER WALLACK, Memories 
[Scribner, iv. 723]. They want TO RING 
me INTO it, but I do not see anything in it 
I can do. 

RING-DROPPER (or -FALLER), subs, 
phr. (thieves'). See quot. 1851- 
61 : hence RING-DROPPING : see 
FAWNEY-DROPPER. AWDELEY 
(1567) ; PARKER (1781). 

1843. DICKENS, Martin Chuzzlewit t 
xxxvii. Tom's evil genius did not . . . 
mark him out as the prey of RING-DROPPERS 
... or any of those bloodless sharpers. 

1849. MACAULAY, Hist, of Eng., 
xviii. The crowd of pilferers, RING- 
DROPPERS, and sharpers who infested the 
capital. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., i. 
389. In RING-DROPPING we pretend to 
have found a ring, and ask some simple- 
looking fellow if it's good gold, as it's only 
just picked up [they then get the fellow to 

RINGER, subs, (common). A bell ; 
a tinkler. Fr. battante; brandil- 
lante. 

RING- MAN, subs. phr. (old). The 
middle, or ring finger : cf. DARK- 
MANS ; RUFF-MANS, &C. 

1544. ASCHAM, Toxophilus, 137. 
When a man shooteth, the might of his 
shoote lyeth on the foremost finger, and 
on the RING-MAN. 

2. See RING, subs, i. 



RING-TAIL, subs, (military). A 
recruit : see SNOOKER. 

RING-TAILED ROARER, subs. phr. 
(American). The nonsense name 
of some imaginary beast. 
Century. 

RINK. To GET OUT OF ONE'S 
RINK, verb. phr. (old colloquial). 
To sow wild oats. [RiNK = a 
course, a race, ring, or circle.] 

RINSE, subs, (common). Any sort 
of potable; LAP (q.v.). Hence 
as verb. = to drink ; TO LUSH 



RIOT ACT. To READ THE RIOT 
ACT, verb. phr. (colloquial). To 
administer a jobation ; to reprove. 

RIOTOUS-LIVING, subs. phr. (col- 
loquial). Luxuries. [Cf. Luke 
xv. 13.] 

RIP, subs, (common). A repro- 
bate; a RAKE (<?.v.). Hence any- 
thing censurable : as a SCREW 
(q.v.) of a horse (GROSE), 'a 
shabby mean fellow' (GROSE): 
sometimes in jest. 

1827. PEAKE, Comfortable Lodgings, 
i. a. Roue. So, at last at Paris ; and I'll 
be bound I'm the greatest RIP in it. 

1853. DICKENS, Bleak House, Iv. If 
it's ever broke to him that his RIP of a 
brother has turned up I could wish . . . 
to break it myself. 

1892. Pall Mall Gaz., 20 Oct., 6, i. 
The prisoner said a RIP (an Americanism 
for low woman) has told him that she had 
been employed by the police to track him. 

1900. KIPLING, Stalky &* Co., 25. 
1 Hold on, till King loses his temper,' said 
Beetle. ' He's a libellous old RIP, an' he'll 
be in a ravin' paddywhack. ' 

Verb, (old : now chiefly Ameri- 
can). i. To take one's own 
course ; to go as one will : 
to tear along ; to drive furiously : 



Ripe. 



Ripping. 



usually in phr. LET HER RIP : 
also TO RIP AND STAVE. Whence 
RIPPER = a tearer ; TO RIP AND 
TEAR = to be furious ; TO RIP 
OUT = to explode ; also as an 
oath, RIP ME ! = BLAST ME ! 



c.i6is. FLETCHER, Woman's Prize, i. 
i. Do all the ramping, roaring tricks a 
whore, Being drunk and tumbling-RiPE. 



1600. DECKER, Shorn. Holiday 
[Works (1873], i. 29]. Auaunt kite-bin- 
stuffe, RIPPE, you browne bread tannikin, 
out of my sight. 

1 848. JONES, Sketches of Travels, 78. 
He RIPPED OUT an oath that made the 
hair stand on my head. 

1869. H. B. STOWE, Old Town 
Folks, 607. If she don't do nothing more 
. , . why, I say, let 'er RIP. 

1877. Temple Bar, May, 109. It 
has its drawbacks, the principal of which 
is a growing tolerance of misrule and mis- 
conduct in office. "Let him RIP," is a 
common verdict ; " we can turn him out 
when his time is up." 

1885. STEVENSON, Princt Otto, ii. 
7. 'You may leave the table,' he added, 
his temper RIPPING OUT. 

1895. MARRIOTT-WATSON [New Re- 
view, 2 July]. " RIP ME," says he, 
starting up, d'ye think I could not ha' 
been in the job myself? " 

2. (old). To search; to rum- 
mage : espec. with a view to 
plunder ; hence (3) to steal. 
RIPPER = a robber. 

[. . . .]. Ormulum, 10,212. To RIP- 
PENN hemm and raefenn. 

.1388. Towneley Myst., 112. Com 
and RVPE oure howse, and then may ye se 
Who had hir. 

[....]. Robin Hood and Beggar 
[CHILD, Ballads, v. 190], And loose the 
strings of all thy pocks, I'll RIPE them with 
my hand. 

1816. SCOTT, Old Mortality, xxiii. 
I e'en RIPED his pouches, as he had dune 
mony an honester man's. 

RIPE, adj. and adv. (common). 
I. Drunk; and (2) ready. 

1609. SHAKSPEARE, Tempest, v. z. 
Trinculo is reeling RIPE : where should 
they find this grand liquor that hath 
gilded 'em? 



. . BROWN, Works, I 272. To 
show you how soon the Women of this age 
grow RIPE . . . 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, 178. 
Jerry was now RIPE for anything. 

1842. TENNYSON, Poems, 'Will 
Water-proof.' Half mused or reeling- 

RIPE. 

RIPON (or RIPPON), subs, (old). 
I. A spur ; and (2) a sword. 
[The Yorkshire City was formerly 
famous for its fine steel.] GROSE 
(1785). 
1625. JONSON, Stable of News, i. 3. 

Why there's an angel, if my SPURS Be not 

right RIPPON. 

1636. WITS [DoDSLEY, Old Plays 
(REED), viii. 501]. Whip me with wire, 
headed with rowels of Sharp RIPPON 

SPURS. 

RIPPER, subs, (colloquial). Any- 
thing especial : a good ball 
(cricket) ; a knock-down blow 
(pugilistic) ; a fine woman ; an 
outrageous lie, &c. Hence RIP- 
PING = great, excellent, STUN- 
NING (g.v.). 

1851. MAYHEW, Lond. Lab., i. 237. 
The . . . battle between the two young 
ladies of fortune is what we call a RIPPER. 

1877. Belgravia, xxxii. 241. Mr. 
Wilkie Collins's last novel is a RIPPING 
book. 

1881. HOWELLS, Dr. Breen's Prac- 
tice, ii. Barlow says it's the hottest day 
he's ever seen here. . . . " It's a RIPPER. 

1884. HAWLEY SMART, Post to 
Finish, i. What a RIPPING race it was. 

1892. NISBET, Bushranger's Sweet* 
heart, 209. 'How are you getting on 
with her?' 'RiPPiNGLY as far as she is 
concerned.' 

1896. COTSFORD DICK, Ways of 
World, 53. He calls the sunrise a ' RIPPIN 
show.' 

RIPPING,^. (Eton College). A 
ceremony incidental to the de- 
parture of a Senior Colleger for 
King's College, Cambridge : when 



Rise. 



Roach. 



he has ' got King's ' his gown is 
stitched up that it may be RIPPED 
afterwards. 

Adj. See RIPPER. 

RISE, subs, (colloquial). An ad- 
vance : in salary, price, betting, 
status, rank, &c. See RAISE. 

1837. DICKENS, Pickwick, liii. 
Eighteen bob a-week, and a RISE if he 
behaved himself. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., ii. 
42. A friend or two in London . . . gave 
me a bit of a RISE, so I began as a coster- 
monger. 

1864. TENNYSON, Ay Inzer's Field. 
Wrinkled benchers oft talk'd of him Ap- 
provingly, and prophesied his RISE. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 70. 
As to my chance of a RISE wot do you 
think, old pal ! 

Verb, (colloquial). I. To play 
into one's hands ; to listen credu- 
lously. 

1856. WHYTE - MELVILLE, Kate 
Coventry, xvi. John ROSE freely in a 
moment ... he burst out quite savagely. 

2. See RAISE. 

To GET (HAVE or TAKE) A 
RISE OUT OF ONE, verb. phr. 
(common). To mortify ; to make 
ridiculous ; to outwit. 

1600. KEMP, Dance to Norwich 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng., ii. 52. The new 
substantives are pipe, a RISE (leap); 
whence comes " GET A RISE OUT OF HIM "]. 

d.iSsg. DE QUINCEY, Spanish Nun. 
Possibly TAKING A RISE out of his worship 
the Corregidor. 

1901. Sporting Times, 6 Ap., i, 4. 
But, I don't care how hard he tries, He 
out of me can't TAKE A RISE. 

PHRASES. To RISE A BARNEY 
(showmen's) = to collect a crowd ; 

TO RISE ARSE UPWARDS = ' A 

sign of good luck ' (RAY). 

RISING, quasi-adv. (colloquial). i. 
Upwards of ; and (2) approaching 
to. 



1853. BRADLEY, Verdant Green, i. 
7. When Mr. Verdant Green was (in 
stable language] RISING sixteen. 

RISPIN. See RESPIN. 

RITES OF LOVE, subs. phr. (con- 
ventional). Copulation : see 
GREENS. 

^.1638. CAREW, The Rapture. We 
only sin when LOVE'S RITES are not done. 

1733. BAILEY, Coll. Eras., 'The 
Uneasy Wife.' There are some Women 
who will be querulous, and scold even 
while the RITES OF LOVE are performing. 

RIVER LEA, subs. phr. (rhyming). 
The sea. 

RIVER- RAT, subs. phr. (common). 
A riverside thief: specifically 
one who robs the corpses of 
men drowned. 

RIVER TICK. See TICK. 

RIVET, subs, (common). In pi. = 
money : see RHINO. 

Verb, (colloquial). To marry ; 
TO HITCH (q.V.) ; TO SPLICE 



1700. CONGREVE, Way of the World, 
i. 2. " Sir, there's such coupling at Pan- 
eras that they stood behind one another as 
'twere in a country dance ... so we 
drove round to Duke's Place, and there 
they were RIVETTED in a trice." 

Riz. See RAISE. 

RIZZLE, verb, (provincial). See 
quot. 

1890. Cassetts Sat. Jour., -2. Aug., 
1068, i. The newest of new verbs is the 
verb to RIZZLE ... to enjoy a short 
period of absolute idleness after a meal. 

R.M.D., phr. (common). Ready 
Money Down; immediate pay- 
ment. 

ROACH. See SOUND. 



Road. 



37 



Roaratorio. 



ROAD, subs, (venery). i. The fe- 
male pudendum : also ROAD TO 
HEAVEN (or PARADISE) : see 
MONOSYLLABLE. Whence ROAD- 
MAKING (or ROAD UP FOR RE- 
PAIRS) = menstruation. Also (2) 
a harlot. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, 2 Hen. IV., ii. 
2, 182. This Doll Tearsheet should be 
some ROAD. 

.1796. BURNS, Merry Muses, 112. 
TO TAKE TO THE ROAD, Verb. 

phr. (various). To turn high- 
wayman (THE ROAD also = high- 
way robbery) ; footpad ; beggar ; 
tramp ; or commercial. Whence 

ROAD-AGENT, GENTLEMAN (or 

KNIGHT) OF THE ROAD = (i) a 
highwayman, and (2) a com- 
mercial traveller. 

1704. [AsHTON, Social Life, &>c., n. 
242]. There is always some little Trifle 
given to Prisoners, they call Garnish ; we 
OF THE ROAD are above it. 

1730. SWIFT, Copt. Creichton [OLi- 
PHANT, New Eng., ii. 162. Among the 
verbs are ... GO UPON THE ROAD (as a 
highwayman) . . .]. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 13. I do not think you are fool 
enough to make any bones about consort- 
ing with GENTLEMEN OF THE ROAD. 

1883. STEVENSON, Silverado Squat- 
ters, 15. The highway robber ROAD- 
AGENT, he is quaintly called. 

1893. Standard, 29 Jan., 2. Now 
suppose we are ON THE ROAD . . . and we 
meet a josser policeman. 

1895. MARRIOTT- WATSON [New Re- 
view, July, 8]. But if a GENTLEMAN _OF 
THE ROAD must be hindered by the im- 
pudent accidents of the weather, he had 
best . . . settle down with empty pockets 
afore a mercer's counter. 

ROAF, adj. (back slang). Four. 
Hence ROAF - YANNEPS = four- 
pence; ROAF-GEN = four shillings. 

ROACH -AND- DACE, subs. phr. 
(rhyming). The face : see DIAL. 



ROADSTER, subs, (hunting). A 
person who prefers the road to 
cross country riding. 

1885. Field, 4 Ap. Once in a way 
the ROADSTERS and shirkers are distinctly 
favoured. 

ROARER, subs, (common). Any- 
thing especially loud : e.g. (i) = 
a broken-winded horse (GROSE) ; 
(2) a pushing newsvendor; (3) 
a stump-orator. Hence ROAR = 

(1) to breathe hard : of horses ; 

(2) to RANT (q.V.) ; ROARING = 

the disease in horses causing 
broken wind. 

1752. JOHNSON, Rambler, No. 144. 
The ROARER . . . has no other qualifica- 
tions for a champion of controversy than a 
hardened front and a strong voice. 

1837. PEAKE, Quarter to Nine, i. 
His horse is neither a crib biter nor a 

ROARER. 

^.1841. HOOK, Man of Many Friends. 
His stalls at Melton inhabited by slugs 
and ROARERS. 

1841. THACKERAY, Sketches, 'A 
Night's Pleasure.' Cox's most roomy fly 
... in which he insists on putting the 
ROARING gray horse. 

1847. ROBB, Traits of Squatter 
Life, 64. Ben was an old Mississip" 

ROARER. 

1850. STOWE, Uncle Tom's Cabin, 
viii. Tom's a ROARER when there's any 
thumping or fighting to be done. 

1865. Evening Citizen, 7 Aug. One 
of a class of men known as ROARERS went 
round with a few evening papers which he 
announced to be "extraordinary editions." 

1872. Figaro, 30 Nov. Greeley'stoo 
great a ROARER, and depended too much 
on the stump. 

1872. ELIOT, Middlemarch, xxiii. 
The horse was a penny trumpet to that 
ROARER of yours. 

1883. D. Telegraph, 5 Jan., 2, 6. 
Prosecutor, after paying for the mare, dis- 
covered her to be a ROARER. 

ROARATORIO, subs. (old). An 
oratorio. GROSE (1785)- 



Roaring. 



Roaring-forties. 



ROARING, adj. and adv. (common). 
Brisk ; successful ; strong : see 

DRIVE, HUMMING, &C. 

1831. PLANCHE, Olympic Revels, 3. 
But what a ROARING trade I'm driving, 
burn me ! But I can scarcely tell which 
way to turn me. 

1837. MARRY ATT, Snarleyow, xii. 
You've got a ROARING fire, I'll bet. 

1883. Referee, 20 May, 2, 4. Rain 
having kindly come to the rescue of 
managers on Whit- Monday, most theatres 
did a ROARING trade. 



ROARING-BOY ( BLADE, -GIRL, 

-LAD, -RUFFIAN, &C., or ROARER), 
subs. phr. (old). A street bully : 
late 1 6th and I7th centuries : 

also OATMEAL (q.V.) and TER- 
RIBLE-BOY (q.V.). Also ROAR, 
verb. = to riot ; to swagger ; 
ROARING = riotous. As adv. = 
extravagantly, noisily, superbly. 
B. E. (^.1696); GROSE (1785). 

<r.i6oo. Brave English Gypsey [CoL- 
LIER, Roxburgh Ballads (1847), 185]. 
Our knockers make no noise, We are no 

ROARING BOYES. 

1603. DEKKER, London's Tempe. 
The gallant HOARS ; ROARERS drink oathes 
and gall. 

1609. SHAKSPEARE, Tempest, i. i. 
What care these ROARERS for the name of 
King? 

1610. BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, 
Philaster, v. 4. We are thy myrmidons, 
thy guard, thy ROARERS. Ibid. (1616), 
Widow, ii. 3. Two ROARING-BOYS of Rome 
that made all split. 

1611. MIDDLETON, THE ROAR- 
ING GIRL [Title]. Ibid. (1617), A Paire 
Quarrell, v. i. I saw a youth, a gentle- 
mun, a ROARER. 

c.i 620. Court and Times James I. 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng., ii. 58. The new 
cant word ROARING BOY comes up in 
p. 322]. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works [NARES]. 
Virago ROARING GIRLES, that to their 
middle, To know what sexe they were, 
was halfe a riddle. 



1640. HUMPHRY MILL. Night's 
Search, Sect. 8, 42. Two ROARING 
BLADES being on a time in drink. 

1640. The Wandering Jew. "lam 
a man of the Sword ; a Battopn Gallant, 
one of our Dammees, a bouncing Boy, a 
kicker of Bawdes, a tyrant over Puncks, a 
terrour to Fencers, a mewer of Playes, a 
jeerer of Poets, a gallon-pot-flinger ; in 
rugged English, a ROARER." 

1658. ROWLEY [NARES], i. 2. One 
of the country ROARING LADS ; we have 
such, as well as the city, and as arrant 
rakehells as they are. 

1659. MASSINGER, City Madam, iii. 
z know them, swaggering, SUBURBIAN 
ROARERS, Sixpenny truckers. 

1664. COTTON, Virgil Travestie (ist 
ed.), 10. A Crew of drunken ROARING 
RUFFINS. 



ROCHESTER, Song {Works}. 
Room for a bold blade of the Town That 
takes delight in ROARING. 

1697. VANBRUGH, Prov. Wife, iii. 2. 
We's got a' ROARING FOW. 

1759. TOWNLEY, High Life Below 
Stairs, i. . We'll have a ROARING night. 

1791. BURNS, Tarn o'Shanter. That 
every naig was ca'd a shoe on The smith 
and thee gat ROARING FOU on. 

1822. SCOTT, Fort, of Nigel, xvii. 
The tarnished doublet of bald velvet . . . 
will best suit the garb of a ROARING BOY. 

1834. MARRY AT, Peter Simple, 
xxviii. Three of our men whom he had 
picked up, ROARING DRUNK. 

ROARING BUCKLE. See BUCKLE. 

ROARING- FORTIES, subs. phr. (nau- 
tical). The degrees of latitude 
between 40 and 50 N the most 
tempestuous part of the Atlantic : 
also, occasionally to the same 
zone in the South Atlantic. 

1883. BUCHAN [Ency. Brit., xvi. 
146, 2. The region of the 'brave west 
winds, 1 the ROARING FORTIES of sailors. 

1884. LADY BRASSEY, The Trades, 
Tropics, and ' ROARING FORTIES' [Title]. 

1893. J. A. BARRY, Steve Brown's 
Bunytp, 165. They found the ROARING 
FORTIES quite strong enough for them. 



Roaring game. 



39 



Roast. 



ROARING GAME (THE), subs. phr. 
(Scots'). Curling. [BURNS : 
' The curlers quest their ROARING 

PLAY.'] 

ROARING MEG, subs. phr. (old). 
(i) A very famous piece of ord- 
nance ; whence (2) anything loud, 
efficient, or extraordinary. 

1575. CHURCHYARD, Chipper, 'Siege 
of Edenbrough Castell.' With thondryng 
noyes was shot of[f] ROERING MEG. 

1602. MIDDLETON, Blurt. Master 
Constable, n. ii. O, Cupid, grant that my 
blushing prove not a hntstock, and give 
fire too suddenly to the ROARING MEG of 
my desires. 

1621. BURTON, A nat. efMetan. A 
ROARING MEG against melancholy, to rear 
and revive the languishing soul. 

1623. FLETCHER and ROWLEY, Maid 
of the Mill, in. ii. I'll sell my mill, and 
buy a ROARING MEG ; I'll batter down his 
house. 



1630. TAYLOR, Works [NAKES]. Thy 
name and voice, more fear'd then Guy of 
Warwick, Or the rough rumbling, ROAR- 
ING MEG of Barwicke. 

1638. WHITING, A Ibino ana Bellama. 
Beates downe a fortresse like a ROARING 
MEG. 

ROAST, verb. (old). I. To ridicule; 
TO QUIZ (q.v.}. GROSE. 

^.1732. ATTERBURY, Epist. Corr., ii. 

gr. Bishop Atterbury's ROASTING lord 
> ningsby about the topick of being priest- 
ridden. 

1751. SMOLLETT, Peregrine Pickle, 
Ixxi. Who no sooner entered the room 
than the mistress of the house very kindly 
desired one of the wits present to ROAST 
the old put. 

1780. LEE, Chapter of Accidents, 
iii. i. But I must keep my own counsel, 
or my old beau of a brother will ROAST me 
to death on my system of education. 

1854. WHYTE MELVILLE, General 
Bounce, xiii. " Let them but lay a finger 
on my ' Medea,' and I'll give them such a 
ROASTING as they haven't had since the 
days of the ' Dunciad.' " 

1807. MITFORD, Romance of Cape 
Frontier, i. ix. Poor Allen was ROASTED 
unmercifully on the strength of it. 



2. (thieves'). (a) To watch 
closely ; TO STALL (?..). Also 

TO ROAST BROWN and TO 

GET (or GIVE) A ROASTING : Fr. 
pousser de la ficelle. Thus (old) 

TO SMELL OF THE ROAST = to 

get into prison. B. E. (^.1696) ; 
GROSE (1785). 

1587. Mir our for Magistrates 
[NARES]. My souldiers were slayne fast 
before mine owne eyes, Or forc'd to flie, 
yeilde, and SMELL OF THE ROST. 

1879. HORSLEY, Jottings from Jail 
[Mac. Mag., xl. 504]. I see a reeler 
giving me a ROASTING, so I began to count 
my pieces for a jolly. 

1888. SIMS, Plank Bed Ballad 
[Referee, 12 Feb.]. A reeler was ROASTING 

ME BROWN. 

PHRASES. To RULE THE 
ROAST = to lead, to domineer 
(B. E., GROSE) ; TO CRY 
ROAST MEAT = to chatter about 
one's good fortune (B. E., GROSE); 

TO MAKE ROAST MEAT FOR 

WORMS = to kill ; TO GIVE 

ROAST MEAT AND BEAT WITH 

THE SPIT = ' to do one a Curtesy, 
and Twit or Upbraid him with it ' 

(B. E.) ; TO ROAST SNOW IN A 

FURNACE = to attempt the un- 
necessary or absurd. Also PRO- 
VERBIAL SAYINGS : ' Set a fool 
to ROAST eggs, and a wise man 
to eat them ' ; c You are in your 
ROAST MEAT when others are in 
their fod ' ; * There's reason in 
ROASTING of eggs ' ; ' Great 
boast and small ROAST make un- 
savoury mouths.' Cf. RIB- 
ROASTER. 

c.-i 380. Debate of the Carpenters' 
TW/tHAZLiTT, Early Pop. Poet, i. 85]. 
My mayster yet shall REULE THE ROSTE. 

d K52Q. SKELTON, Why Cortte Ye not 
to Court. He RULETH all THE ROSTE 
With bragging and with boste. 



Roast-and-boiled. 



40 



Robe. 



1594. SHAKSPEARE, 2 Henry IV., \. 
i. " Suffolk, the new-made duke, that 
RULES THE ROAST." Ibid. (1608), Pericles, 
i. 3. Pand. The poor Transylvanian is 
dead, that lay with the little baggage. 
Boult. Ay, she quickly poop'd him ; she 
made him ROAST MEAT FOR WORMS. 

1606. CHAPMAN, Gentleman Usher, 
v. Ah, I do domineer, and RULE THE 
ROAST. 

1634. LENTON, Innes of Court A nag. 
[NARES], They boast Of dainty cates, 
and afterwards CRY ROAST. 

^.1662. GAUDEN, Tears of the Church, 
682. He might . . . not have PROCLAIMED 
on the housetop to all the world the ROST- 
MEAT he hath gotten. 

1670. COTTON, Scoffer Scofft [ Works 
(1725), 256]. Why then, if I may RULE 
THE ROAST, I affect naked Women most. 

1719. DURFEY, Pills, iii. 22. When 
you GIVE a Man ROAST-MEAT, AND BEAT 
WITH THE SPIT. 

1748. SMOLLETT, Rod. Random, li. 
Who was hand and glove with a certain 
person who RULED THE ROAST. Ibid. 
(1749), Gil Bias [ROUTLEDGE], 362. She 
began to see that there was REASON IN 

ROASTING OF EGGS. 

1749. FIELDING, Tom Jones, iv. v. 
To trumpet forth the praises of such a 
person would ... be CRYING ROAST 
MEAT. 

1809. LAMB, Chris? s Hospital. The 
foolish beast, not able to fare well but he 
must CRY ROAST MEAT . . . would needs 
proclaim his good fortune to the world 
below. 

1829. MONCRIEFF, Giovanni in 
London, i. 3. Now, sirs, I hope you'll 
own we are your wives, the rulers of the 

ROAST. 

ROAST - AND - BOILED, subs. phr. 
(old). The Life Guards: 'who 
are mostly substantial house- 
keepers, and eat daily of ROAST 
AND BOILED ' (GROSE). 

ROASTER, subs. (Irish). See quot. 

1888. D. Tel., 29 Nov. The meaning 
of "ROASTERS" was turnspits for land- 
lords ; that the names of the "ROASTERS " 
were kept ; that when particular 
"ROASTERS " were to be boycotted it was 
the League that boycotted them ; and that 
he dare not work for the men whose names 
were on the list. 



ROASTING-JACK, subs. phr. (ve- 
nery). The female pudendum: 
see MONOSYLLABLE. 

ROAST- MEAT CLOTHES, subs. phr. 
(old). Sunday or holiday gear 
(B. E., GROSE). 

ROB. See BARN, PETER. 
ROBA. See BONA-ROBA. 

ROB-ALTAR, subs. phr. (old). A 
sacrilegious plunderer. 

^.1655. ADAMS, Works, i. 179. What 
law can be given to ROB-ALTARS ? 

ROBBERY. EXCHANGE is NO ROB- 
BERY, phr. (old). An excuse for 
a forced or jesting imposition. 
HEYWOOD (1546); RAY (1760). 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 35. Since you have taken a fancy 

to it, an EXCHANGE IS NO ROBBERY ... a 

genteel way enough of making a present. 

ROB -DAVY (or ROB-O'-DAVY), stibs. 
phr. (old colloquial). Metheglin. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works [NARES]. 
Peter-see-mea, or headstrong Charnico, 
Sherry, nor ROB-O'-DAVY here could flow. 

ROBE. GENTLEMAN OF THE 
LONG ROBE, subs. phr. (old). 
A lawyer : see LONG ROBE for 
addit. quots. 

1677. YARRANTON, Eng. Impr., 34. 
Three worthy GENTLEMEN OF THE LONG 
ROBE. 

1702. STEELE, Grief-a-la-Moae, 
Pref. Far be it from any Man's Thought 
to say there are not MEN of strict Integrity 
OF THE LONG ROBE, tho" it is not every 
Body's good Fortune to meet with them. 

1856. MOTLEY, Dutch Republic, i. 
377. Rich advocates, and other GENTLE- 
MEN OF THE ROBE. 

1863: THACKERAY, Roundabout 
Papers, xviii. His honour being even 
then a GENTLEMAN OF THE LONG ROBE. 



Roberd' s-man. 



Rob-pot. 



ROBERD'S-MAN (-KNAVE, or Ro- 
BERTS'-MAN), subs. phr. (old). 
'The third (old) Rank of the 
Canting Crew, mighty Thieves, 
like Robin-hood.' B. .(^.1696); 
GROSE (1785). 

1362. LANGLAND, Piers Plowman, 
3. In glotonye . . . Go thei to bedde, 
And risen with ribaudie Tho ROBERDES 
KNAVES. 

1838. TOMLINS, Law. Diet., s.v. 

ROBBERSMEN, Or ROBBERDSMEN were a 

sort of great thieves mentioned in the 
statutes (5 Edw. 3, &c.] ... of whom 
Coke says, that Robin Hood lived in the 
reign of King Richard I., on the borders 
of England and Scotland by robbery, 
burning of houses, rapine and spoil, &c., 
and that these ROBBERDSMEN took name 
from him. 

ROBERT (or ROBERTO), subs, (com- 
mon). A policeman. 

1870. Figaro, 18 Nov. That intoler- 
able nuisance, the " British Peeler" who 
is always poking his nose where he is not 
wanted, and is never to be found when he 
is is, after all, a sensitive creature. The 
blood of the ROBERTS is at length aroused. 

1880. SIMS, An Awful Character. 
The guilt of one person is well to the fore, 
For our ROBERTS so terribly fly are. 

ROBIN, suds, (common). A penny: 
see RHINO. 

1 894. Chatham and R ochester News , 
20 Jan., 7, 5. Witness asked him how 
much he got, and he said " Seventeen and 
a ROBIN." 

2. (American). ' A flannel 
under-shirt. ' BARTLETT. 

See ROUND ROBIN. 

ROBIN HOOD. Many phrases trace 
back to the legend of this heroic 
thief. Thus ROBIN HOOD, subs. 
= a daring lie ; ROBIN HOOD'S 
PENNYWORTH (see quots. 1662 
and 1682) ; * GOOD EVEN, GOOD 
ROBIN HOOD' (said of civility 
extorted by fear) ; ' Many talk 
of ROBIN HOOD that never shot 



in his bow ' = Many speak of 
things of which they have no 
knowledge ; ' Tales of ROBIN 
HOOD are good enough for fools.' 

1509. BARCLAY, Ship of Fooles (1570), 
fol. 250. I write no ieste ne TALE OF 
ROBIN HOOD. 

d. 1 529. S KELTON, Why Come Ye, &c. , 
193. Is nat my reason good? GOOD 
EUYN, GOOD ROBYN HOOD ! Some say 
yes, and some Syt styll as they were dom. 

i6[?]. Star Chamber Case [Camden 
Soc., 117]. "Walton the Bayliffejleavyed 
of the poore mans goods 77/2' att ROBIN- 

HOOU'S PENIWORTHS." 

1633. T - NEWTON, Lennies Touch- 
stone of Complexions, 129. Reporting a 
flim-flam TALE OF ROBIN HOOD. 

1652. ASHMOLE, Theat. Chem. Brit., 
175. Many man spekyth wyth wondreng 
Of ROBYN HODE, and of his bow, Whych 
never shot therin, I trow. 

1662. FULLER, Worth. Eng., 315. 
To sell ROBIN HOODS PENNYWORTHS. It 
is spoken of things sold under half their 
value ; or if you will, half sold half given. 
ROBIN HOOD came lightly by his ware, and 
lightly parted therewith ; so that he could 
afford the length of his Bow for a yard of 
Velvet. 

1682. BARNARD, Life of Heylin, 
cxli. Soldiers seized on all ... for the 
use of the Parliament (as they pretended) 
but sold as they passed along to any 
chapman, inconsiderable rates, ROBIN 

HOOD'S PENNYWORTHS. 

1705. WARD, Hud. Rediv., i. viii. 8. 
Many Fools, their Parts to show Will 
TALK OF ROBIN AND HIS Bow That never, 
by Enquiry, knew Whether 'twas made ot 
Steel or Yew. 

ROBIN REDBREAST, subs. phr. 
(old). A Bow-street runner : also 

ROBIN and REDBREAST. 

ROBIN'S-EYE, subs. phr. (common). 
A scab. 

ROBINSON. See JACK ROBINSON. 

ROB-POT, subs. phr. (old). A 

drunkard ; a MALT-WORM (y.v.). 

1622. MASSINGER, Virgin Martyr, 

ii. i. Bacchus, the god of brew'd wine 

and sugar, grand patron of ROB-POTS. 



Rob-the-ruffian. 



42 



Rocker. 



ROB-THE-RUFFIAN, subs. phr. 
(venery). The female pudendum: 
see MONOSYLLABLE. 

ROB-THIEF, subs. phr. (old). See 
quot. 

<.i655. ADAMS, Works, i. 195. Now 
he plays ROB-THIEF, and steals from 
himself. 

ROBY DOUGLAS, subs. phr. (nau- 
tical). The breech : see MONO- 
CULAR-EYEGLASS. 

ROCHESTER- PORTION, subs. phr. 
(old). 'Two torn Smocks, and 
what Nature gave.' B. E. (c. 
1696); GROSE (1785). 

ROCK, subs, (common). Generic 
for hard eatables : (i) = a 
cheese made from skim-milk, 
and said to be ' used in making 
pins to fasten gates' (Hampshire) ; 
(2) a kind of hard sweetmeat ; (3) 
school bread as distinguished 
from ' baker's - bread ' (Derby 
School) ; (4) a hard kind of soap : 
see quot. 18 . . ; &c., &c. 

1857. KINGSLEY, Two Years Ago, 
xv. Promising them ROCK and bull's-eyes. 

1885. W. L. CARPENTER, Soap and 
Candles, 254. Calcium stearate and oleate 
are formed . . . These . . . when mixed 
together constitute an insoluble soap, 
technically called ROCK. 

1888. Harpers Mag., Ixxvi. 625. 
Pieces of peppermint ROCK . . . prized by 
youthful gourmands. 

5. (common). A rock pigeon. 

1885. Field, 4 Ap. Being a bit slow 
in firing, a fast ROCK escaped him. 

6. (American). In pi. 
money. Hence POCKETFUL OF 

ROCKS = flush J ON THE ROCKS 
= STRANDED ($.V.). 

1846. Pickings from the New Orleans 
Picayune. Spare my feelings, Squire, 
and don't ask me to tell any more. Here 
I am in town without a ROCK in my 
pocket, and without a skirt to my coat, or 
crown to my hat. 



1847. ROBB, Squatter Life, 165. 
You know if I had a POCKET FULL OF 
ROCKS you should share them. 

7. (American). A pebble; a 
stone (at Winchester = a medium- 
sized stone) : as verb. = to throw 
stones. 

i8[?]. Joneskorough (Tenn.) Whig 
[BARTLETT]. They commenced ROCKING 
the Clay Club House in June, on more 
occasions than one, and on one occasion 
threw a ROCK in at the window. 

1848. Georgia Scenes, 193. S - 
came home in a mighty bad way, with a 
cold and a cough ; so I put a hot ROCK to 
his feet, &c. 

1872. O. W. HOLMES, Poet at 
Break/. Table, xii. The boys would 
follow . . . crying, c ROCK him ! ' . . . 
He's got a long-tailed coat on. 

1893. BRET HARTE, Soc. on the 
Stanislaus. Nor should the individual 
. . . Reply by heaving ROCKS at him. 

8. (common). A cause of 
difficulty, defeat, or annoyance : 
as an over-trump at cards, an 
obstacle suddenly placed in one's 
way, and so forth. 

1601. SHAKSPEARE, Henry VIII., i. 
i, 113. Lo, where comes that ROCK, That 
I advise your shunning. [Enter Cardinal 
Wolsey.] 



<f.i6s4. SELDEN, Table Talk 
Every Church 



, 57. 

govern d tse, or else we 
must fall upon that old foolish ROCK, that 



vern 'd itself, or 
t old foolish RO, 
St. Peter and his Successours govern'd all. 



THE ROCK, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). Gibraltar. 

TO DO BY ROCK OF EYE AND 

RULE OF THUMB, verb. phr. 
(tailors'). To substitute guess- 
work for exact measurement. 

See BEDROCK, ROCKER. 

ROCKER (or ROKKER), verb. 
(tramps' : originally Gypsy). I. 
To understand ; (2) to speak. 

1876. HINDLEY, Cheap Jack, 231. 
Can you ROCKER Romany, Can you patter 
flash? 



Rocketer. 



43 



Roger. 



1893. Standard, 99 Jan., t. We 
have to be out in the road early, you know 
to secure pur "Toby" (great laughter)! 
Thats plain. We don't ROCK Romany 
all day long (laughter). 

1894. A. MORRISON [Strand Mag., 
July, 60]. Hewitt could ROKKER better 
than most Romany chals themselves. 

ROCKETER, subs, (sporting). A 
flushed pheasant, rising quick and 
straight ; ROCKETTING = rising 
straight. 

1869. Quarterly Rev., cxxvii. 387. 
The driven partridge and the ROCKETING 
pheasant are beyond the skill of many a 
man who considers himself a very good 

1884. Field, 6 Dec. It is nonsense 
to say that a ROCKETER is easily disposed 

1888. Harper's Mag., Ixxvii. 182. 
Presently an old cock-pheasant came 
ROCKETING over me. 

ROCK-SCORPION, subs. phr. (naval 
and military). A mongrel Gib- 
ralterine : Spanish, Portuguese, 
French, Genoese, Barbary He- 
brew, Moorish, negro a mixture 
of all mettles. 

ROCKY (ROCKED, or ROCKETTY), 

adj. (common). I. Broken : by 
drink, illness, poverty; and (2) 
difficult ; dubious ; debateable. 
Hence TO GO ROCKY = to go to 
pieces; to go wrong. Whence 
ROCKINESS = (i) craziness; (2) 
incapacity, utter or partial ; OFF 
ONE'S ROCKER = crazy ; ROCKED 

IN A STONE KITCHEN = * the 

person spoken of is a fool, his 
brains having been disordered by 
the jumbling of his cradle ' 
(GROSE). 

1885. D. Telegraph, 28 Dec. Let 
him keep the fact of things having gone 
ROCKY with him as dark as he can. 

1802. Nat. Observer, 20 Feb., 352, i. 
Though the morals were ROCKY . . . the 
society was very good. 



1896. CRANE, Maggie, xiv. I call it 
ROCKY treatment for afellah like me. 

1897. Sporting Times, 13 Mar., i, a. 



ROD, subs, (common). An angler. 

1886. Fishing Gazette, 30 Jan. The 
late Sir F. Sykes, a first-rate ROD. 

2. (venery). The penis: see 
PRICK : also FISHING - ROD. 
Hence as verb. = to copulate. 

See BREACH, PICKLE, TAIL. 

ROD- MAKER, suds. phr. (Winton). 
' The man who made the rods 
used in SIBLING (q.v.). MANS- 
FIELD (^.1840). 

RODNEY. A REGULAR RODNEY, 
subs. phr. (old). An idle fellow ; 
a lazybones. 

RODOMONTADE, subs, (old collo- 
quial : now recognised). Boast- 
ing; swagger. Hence RODO- 
MONT = a boaster. [A character 
in Ariosto.] 

ROE, subs, (venery). The semen : 
see CREAM. Hence TO SHOOT 
ONE'S ROE = to emit. 

ROF-EFIL, subs. phr. (back slang). 
A life sentence ; ' for life.' 

ROGER, subs. (Old Cant). i. A 
portmanteau ; a POGE (q.v.\ 
B. E. (<:.i696); GROSE (1785). 

2. (Old Cant). A goose : also 
ROGER (or TIB) OF THE BUT- 
TERY. HARM AN (1567) ; DEK- 
KER (1609); B. E. (^.1696); 
GROSE (1785). 

1622. FLETCHER, Beggar's Busk, v. 
j. Margery praters, ROGERS, and Tibs 
o' th' Buttery. 



Rogerian. 



44 



Rogue. 



3. (venery). The penis: see 
PRICK. Hence as verb. = to 
copulate : see RIDE. [Cf. ROGER 
= ram, and ' ROGER a name 
frequently given to a bull ' (B. E., 
GROSE).] 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, i. xi. 
Taking you know what between their 
fingers and dandling it. And some of the 
. . . women would give these names, my 
ROGER . . . smell-smock . . . lusty live 
sausage. 

1720. DURFEY, Pills, S*c., vi. 201. 

And may Prince G 's ROGER grow stiff 

again and stand. 

1750. ROBERTSON of Struan, Poems, 
98. Dear sweet Mr. Wright ... Go 
RODGER to-night Your Wife, for ye want 
her. 

1794. BURNS, The Summer Morn. 
[Merry Muses (c. 1800), p. ]. To ROGER 
Madam Thetis. Ibid. (b. 1796), ' We're a' 
gaun Southie, O.' Bonie lassie, braw 
lassie, ' Will ye hae a sodger ? ' Then she 
took up her duddie sark, An' he shot in 
his ROGER. 

1885. BURTON, Thousand Nights, 
iii. 304. 1 will not ROGER thee. Ibid. 
(1890), Priapeia, xii. Thou shalt be 
pedicate, (lad) thou also (lass !) shalt be 

ROGERED. 

4. (nautical). A pirate flag : 
also JOLLY ROGER. GROSE 
(1785). 

5. (old). A ROGUE (q.V.}. 

ROGERIAN, subs, (old). A kind of 
wig. 

1599. HALL, Virgid, in. v. 16. The 
sportful! winde to mocke the headlesse 
man, Tosses apace his pitch'd ROGERIAN. 

ROGUE (ROGE or ROGER), subs. 
(Old Cant). I. A professed 
beggar ; ' the fourth Order of 
Canters' (AWDELEY, HARMAN, 
B. E., GROSE). Whence (2) 
WILD ROGUE (see quot. 1567), 
and (3, modern) = a knave or 
rascal ; A ROGUE IN GRAIN = ' a 
great rogue, or a corn-chandler' 
(GROSE) ; A ROGUE IN SPIRIT = 
* a distiller or brandy-merchant ' 
(GROSE). As verb to beg. 



1531-47. COPLAND, Spyttel Hous 
[HAZLITT, Early Pop. Poet., iv. 44]. 
These ROGERS that . . . foot and frydge. 

1567. AWDELEY, Warning, &*c. . . . 
A WILDE ROGE is he that is borne a Roge : 
he is more subtil and more geuen by 
nature to all kinde of knauery than the 
other. I once rebuking a wyld roge 
because he went idelly about he shewed 
me that he was a begger by enheritance 
his grandfather was a begger, his father 
was one, and he must nedes be one by 
good reason. 

1605. SHAKSPEARE, Lear, iv. 7, 39. 
To hovel thee with swine and ROGUES 
forlorn. 

1611. COTGRAVE, Diet., s.v. Di- 
vague. Raunging, ROGUING about. 

1619. FLETCHER, Wildgoose Chase, 
ii. 3. Ros. 'Tis pity such a lusty fellow 
should wander up and down, and want 
employment. Bel. She takes me for a 

ROGUE. 

[Passim in English literature to the 
present time.] 

2. (colloquial). Anything 
vicious ; bastard ; or unstan- 
dardized. Thus ROGUE - ELE- 
PHANT an evil-minded mur- 
derous male or female ; ROGUE'S- 
BADGE = blinkers for a vicious 
horse. [Cf. ROGUE (christened 
Roger) Riderhood, DICKENS, 
Mutual Friend.~\ 

1859. DARWIN, Origin of Species, 
42 and 43. When a race of plants is ... 
established the seed -raisers do not pick 
out the best plants, but . . . pull up the 
ROGUES, as they call the plants that deviate 
from the proper standard . . . The 
destruction of horses under a certain size 
. . . may be compared to the ROGUING of 
plants. 

1888. Referee, n Dec. Admiral 
Benbow is a ROGUE, but he was tried 
exceedingly well in the summer time. 

1891. Lie. Viet. Gaz. He wore the 
ROGUE'S BADGE, but is built on racing 
lines. 

3. (colloquial). An endear- 
ment. Whence ROGUISH = play- 
fully mischievous. . Also = a wag. 



Rogue-and-pullet. 45 



Roland. 



1596. SHAKSPEARE, Hamlet, ii. 2, 
197. The satirical ROGUE says here that 
old men have grey beards. Ibid. (1598), 
2 Hen. IV., ii. 4, 233. Ah, you sweet 
little ROGUE, you! 

1607. BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, 
Woman Hater, v. 5. Come, come, little 
ROGUE, thou art too maidenly [et passim]. 

1733. POPE, Im.it. of Horace, i. vii. 
27. What, rob your boys? those pretty 

ROGUES. 

(5.1796. BURNS, Cessnock Banks. An* 
she has twa sparkling ROGUEISH een. 

DERIVATIVES. ROGUE'S- 
GALLERY = a collection of photo- 
graphs of convicted prisoners ; 
ROGUE-HOUSE = a prison or lock- 
up ; ROGUE-MONEY (Scots') = an 
assessment for police purposes ; 
ROGUE'S-MARCH = the DRUM- 
MING OUT (q.v.) of a disgraced 
soldier or sailor; ROGUE'S- YARN 
= a worsted thread, varying in 
color in each dockyard, woven in 
each strand of rope to prevent 
theft and to trace defective manu- 
facture. 

1886. BESANT, World went very 
well Then, xxi. As for the Hue and Cry, 
leave that to me. I will tackle the Hue 
and Cry, which I value not an inch of 
ROGUES' YARN. 

1891. Century Diet., s.v. ROGUE 
... In rope made in United States navy- 
yards the ROGUE'S YARN is twisted in a 
contrary direction to the others, and is of 
manila in hemp rope, and of hemp in 
manila rope. 

ROGUE-AND-PULLET, subs. phr. 
(thieves'). A man and woman 
in confederacy as thieves. 

ROGUE-AND-VILLAIN, subs. phr. 
(rhyming). A shilling : see 
RHINO. 

1887. HORSLEY, Jottings from Jail. 
Come, cows-and-kisses, put the battle of 
the Nile on your Barnet fair, and a ROGUE 
AND VILLAIN in your sky-rocket. 

ROGU ESH i P. See SPITTLE ROGUE- 
SHIP. 



ROISTER (ROYSTER DOISTER, 
ROYSTER, ROISTERER, &c.), 
subs. (old). (i) A swaggerer 
(B. E., GROSE) ; and (2) a frolic. 
Whence as verb, (also ROIST) = 
to swagger ; ROISTING (ROISTER- 
ING, ROISTERLY, or ROISTEROUS) 
= uproarious. 

1553- UDALL, ROISTER DOIS- 
TER, Prol. The vayne glorious . . . 
Whose humour the ROYSTING sort con- 
tinually doth feed. 

1577. HARRISON, England, 149. 
They ruffle and ROIST it out. 

1602. SHAKSPEARE, Troilus and 
Cress., ii. 2, 208. I have a ROISTING 
challenge sent amongst The dull and 
factious nobles of the Greeks. 

1630. Time's Whistle [E. E. T. S.], 
60. They must not part till they have 
drunk a barrell, Or straight this ROISTER 
will begin to quarrel. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 175. This is beyond all bearing, 
screamed out the young ROYSTER. 

1809. IRVING, Knickerbocker, 92. 
An honest social race of jolly ROYSTERS, 
who had no objection to a drinking bout, 
and were very merry in their cups. Ibid. , 
348. A gang of merry ROISTERING devils. 

1843. CARLYLE, Past and Present, 
ii. 15. ROYSTEROUS young dogs ; carolling, 
howling, breaking the Lord Abbot's sleep. 

1855. TEXNYSON, Maud, xiv. 2. Her 
brother lingers late with the ROYSTERING 
company. Ibid. (1859), Geraint. A rout 
of ROISTERERS femininely fair And disso- 
lutely pale. 

ROKER, subs, (schools). A ruler ; 
a stick ; a poker. FLAT-ROKER 
= a flat ruler. \_Roke (HALLI- 
WELL) = to stir a fire, a liquid, 
&c.] 

ROLAND (or ROWLAND) FOR 
OLIVER, subs. phr. (old). (i) A 
match ; a tit for tat ; six of one 
and half a dozen of the other : a 
fanciful or practical proof of 
equality. B. E. and GROSE. Fr. 
Guy Contre Robert. 



Roly-poly. 



46 



Roll 



[ J. MS. Cantab, Ff. u. 38, 

f. 109. Soche strokys were never seen in 
londe Syth OLYVERE dyed AND Row- 
LONDE. 

1542. HALL, Henry VI., f. But to 
have a ROWLAND TO resist AN OLIVER, he 
sent soletnpne ambassadors to the kyng of 
Englande, offeryng hym hys doughter in 
marriage. 

1565. CALFHILL, Treat, of Cross, 
374. "Have a quarrel to ROWLAND AND 
fight with OLIVER. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, / Hen. fV.. i. 2. 
England all OLIVERS AND ROLANDS bred. 

1612. Court and Times James I., 
187. There is hope you shall have AN 
OLIVER FOR A ROLAND. 

1706. WARD, Wooden World, 68. 
By the help of some twopenny Scribbler 
she will always return him A ROWLAND 
FOR HIS OLIVER. 

1820. COMBE, Syntax, u. iii. \ 
shall be able ... to bestow ... a quid 
pro quo ; Which I translate for Madam, 
there, A ROWLAND FOR YOUR OLIVER. 

1901. D. Telegraph, 18 Nov., 7, 3. 
Oh, we are getting on splendidly ! 
(Laughter.) That is A ROLAND FOR AN 
OLIVER. 

ROLY-POLY, subs. phr. (old). i. 
A country bumpkin. 

1602. DEKKER, Satiromastix^ iii. 
116. These two ROLLY FOLLIES. 

2. (common). A jam roll 
pudding ; DOG-IN-A-BLANKET : 
also ROLL. UP. As adj. round 
and fat. 

1841. THACKERAY, Great Hoggarty 
Diamond, xii. You said I make the best 
ROLY-POLY puddings in the world. Ibid. 
(1848,), Book of Snobs, i. As for the ROLY- 
POLY, it was too good. 

1851, MAYHEW, Land. Lab., i. 207. 
Sometimes made in the rounded form of 
the plum-pudding ; but more frequently 
in the ROLY-POLY style. 

1852. MRS. CRAIK, Agatha's Hus- 
band, xii. Cottages, in the doors of which 
a few ROLY-POLY, open-eyed children 
stand. 

1860. ELIOT, Mill on Floss, \. 6. 1 
know what the pudden's to be apricot 
ROLL-UP O my buttons I 



1882. WORBOISE, Sissie, xix. Squashy 
ROLYPOLY pudding. 

3. (common). See quots. 

1713. ARBUTHNOT, Hist. John Bull. 
Let us begin some diversion ; what d'ye 
think of ROULYPOULY or a country dance? 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., m. 
145. When I danced it was merely a 
comic dance what we call a ROLEY-POLEY. 

4. (venery). The penis : see 
PRICK. 

ROLL, subs, (common). In//. = a 
baker : see BURNCRUST. Also 
MASTER OF THE ROLLS. 

Verb. (old). A verb of spirit : 
generic (i) = to gad ; (2) to 
rollick in one's walk ; and (3) to 
swagger : also TO ROLL ABOUT. 
Whence TO ROLL IN BUB (or 
GRUB) = to have plenty to eat 
(or drink) ; TO ROLL IN GOLD 
= to be monstrous rich ; TO 
ROLL IN ONE'S IVORIES = 

tO kiss ; TO ROLL IN EVERY 

RIG = to be " up to - date " ; 

TO ROLL THE LEER = to pick 

pockets ; TO HAVE A ROLL ON 
= to swagger, to put on SIDE 

(q.V.)', TO ROLL ONE'S HOOP = 

to go ahead, to be on the safe 
side : ROLLING = smart, ready ; 
ROLLING KIDDY = a clever thief; 
ROLLICK (or ROLLOP) = to romp 
along. 

1383. CHAUCER, Cant. Tales, Prol. 
Wife of Bath's Tale, 6235. Man shal not 
suffer his wif go ROULE about. 

1542. UDALL, Apoph., 243 [OLi- 
PHANT, New Eng., i. 490. A bombastic 
orator ROLLS (exults) in painted terms ; 
hence our ' ROLL IN WEALTH,' and the 
later ROLLICK]. 

1567. HARM AN, Caveat, 20. These 
unruly rascals in their ROLLING disperse 
themselves into several companies. 

1775. Old Song, ' The Potato Man ' 
[FARMER, Musa Pedestris (1896), 55. I 
am a saucy ROLLING blade. 



Roller. 



47 



Roman-fall. 



1780. TOMLINSON, Slang Pastoral, 
viii. To ROLL IN HER IVORY, to pleasure 
her eye. 

1789. PARKER, Life's Painter, ' The 
Happy Pair.' Moll Blabbermares and 
ROWLING Joe. [Note, a kind of fellow who 
dresses smart or what they term natty.] 
Ibid. Then we'll all ROLL IN BUB AND 
GRUB. Ibid. Up to St. Giles's they 
ROLL'D, sir. 

1700. Old Song, ' The Flash Man of 
St. Giles' [The Busy Bee}. We ROLL IN 
EVERY knowing RIG. 

.1824. EGAN, Boxiana, iii. 621, 622. 
The boldest lad That ever mill'd the cly, 
or ROLL'D THE LEER. Ibid. With ROLLING 
KIDDIES, Dick would dive and buy. 

1830. LYTTON, Paul Clifford (&$&* 
18. He merely observed by way of com- 
pliment, that Mr. Augustus and his com- 
panions seemed to be ROLLING KIDDIES. 

1836. DICKENS, Sketches, 'Charac- 
ters,' vii. That grave, but confident, kind 
of ROLL peculiar to old boys in general. 

1837. HOOK, Jack Brag [LATHAM]. 
He described his friends as ROLLICKING 
blades. 

1865. G. MEREDITH, Rhoda Fleming, 
xxix. He had not even money enough to 

the cabman ... He ROLLICKED in 

present poverty. 

1877. PASCOE, Everyday Life, &>c. 
Anything approaching swagger is severely 
rebuked ; there is no more objectionable 
quality than that understood by the ex- 
pression, " He's GOT such A horrid ROLL 
ON." 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads. 
It sets a chap fair ON THE ROLL. 

ROLLER, subs. (Oxford University). 
i. A roll-call. 

2. (Stock Exchange). In pi. 
= United States Rolling Stock. 

3. (old). In pi. , the horse and 
foot patrols. GROSE (1785) 5 
VAUX (1812). 

4. (old). A go-cart. 

1660. SMITH, Lives of Highwaymen, 
H. 50. He could run about without a 
BOWLER or leading-strings. 



pay 
his 



5. (common). A big wave 
coming in from a distance, and so 
with an enormous energy : also 

RUNNER. 

1855. KINGSLEY, Westw. Ho, xxxii. 
ROLLERS of the vast Atlantic . . . with a 
thousand crests of flying foam. 

R o L L E Y , subs, (common). A 
vehicle. 

ROLLICKERS, subs, (military). The 
2nd Bat. The Princess Victoria's 
Royal Irish Fusiliers (formerly 
the Eighty-Ninth Foot). Also 
(1798) * Blayney's Blood-hounds.' 

ROLLING-PIN. See PIN. 

ROLL-ME-IN-THE-DIRT, Subs. pkr. 

(rhyming). A shirt. 
ROLL-UP. See ROLY-POLY. 
ROM. See ROMANY. 

ROMANCE, subs, (colloquial). A 
lie ; a tarradiddle. Hence, as 
verb 'to lie pleasantly, to 
Stretch in Discourse.' B. E. 
(^.1696). 

1651. EVELYN, Diary, 6 Sep. The 
knight was ... not a little given to 
ROMANCE when he spake of himselfe. 

^.1721. PRIOR, An Eng. Padlock. A 
Staple of ROMANCE and Lies, False Tears 
and real Perjuries. 

</.i742. BAILEY, Erasmus, I. 53. I 
hear others ROMANCING about Things tfiey 
never heard nor saw . . . with that Assur- 
ance that . . . they persuade themselves 
they are speaking Truth all the While. 

ROM AN -FALL, subs, (obsolete). A 
posture (^.1868) in walking : the 
head well forward and the small 
of the back well in : ^GRECIAN 
BEND. 

1870. Orchestra, 25 Mar., 'Grand 
Comic Concert.' The ladies have their 
Grecian bend, our typical gentlemen ex- 
Sains a correspondent masculine affecta- 
uon which he dubs The ROMAN FALL. 



Romany. 



Romp. 



1890. Answers, 8 Feb., 172, 2. 
Livingstone noticed that among the young 
bloods and sable patricians of Loanda a 
sort of ROMAN FALL seems to be practised, 
which consists of hobbling along as though 
encumbered by a load of ornaments. 

ROMANY (ROM MANY or ROM), subs. 
(common). I. A gypsy ; and (2) 
the language spoken by gypsies. 
Whence TO PATTER ROMANY = 
' to talk the gypsy flash ' (GROSE); 
ROMANY RYE a gentleman who 
talks and associates with gypsies 
(GROSE; VAUX). [A few 
Romany words have passed into 
English, but the only European 
tongues on which the Gipsy has 
had much influence are those 
of the Peninsula. In Spanish 
and Portuguese almost all the 
slang is Gipsy and almost all 
the Gipsy is slang. Our chief 
authorities, apart from personal 
knowledge, are J. Fitzmaurice 
Kelly, Esq., James Platt, Jr., 
Esq., and El Gitano by Fran- 
cisco Sales Mayo (Madrid, 1870)]. 

1749. GOADBY, Moore-Carew, ' Oath 
of Cant. Crew.' No dummerar, or 

ROMANY. 

1834. AINSWORTH, Rook<wood(T.%f>), 
175. I'm dumb founded if he can't patter 
ROMANY as vel as the best on us ! 

1851. BORROW, Lavengro, xvii. ' We 
were talking of languages, Jasper . . . 
Yours must be a rum one?" "Tis called 
ROMMANY.' . . . 'And you are what is 



called a Gypsy King?' 'Ay, ay; a 
ROMMANY kral.' Ibid. Rum and dree, 
Rum and dry, Rally round the ROMANY 
RYE. 

1871. MEREDITH, Harry Richmond, 
xlv. I recognized a strange tongue in the 
cry, but too late that it was ROMANY to 
answer it. 

1883. G. R. SIMS, THE ROMANY 
R YE [Title]. 

1893. EMERSON, Signer Lippo, xx. 
My old man was a ROMANY ... but he 
was an awful boozer. 

See RUM. 
ROMBELOW. See RUMBELOW. 



ROMBOYLE (or ROMBOYLES), verb. 
(Old Cant). To make hue and 
cry : TO WHIDDLE BEEF (q.v.}. 
Fr. battre morasse (B. E., GROSE). 
Whence ROMBOYL'D = WANTED 
If.*), 

ROME. See Ru M , passim. 

ROMER (or ROMEKIN), subs. (Old 
Cant). A drinking glass (or can). 

B. E. (c. 1696). 

ROME-VILLE, subs. phr. (Old Cant). 

London. [See RUM]. 

ROM FORD. See RUMFORD. 

ROMP, subs, (old : now recognised). 

A boisterous girl ; a TOMBOY : 
see RAMP and quot. 1698 (B. E., 
GROSE). Also as verb. = (i) to 
LARK (q.v.); to play the RIG 
(q.v.); to wanton; and (2) TO 
ROMP IN = to win easily (racing). 

1647. FLETCHER, Mad Lover, i. i. 
How our St. Georges will bestride the 
dragons, The red and RAMPING dragons. 

1698. COLLIER, Eng. Stage [C-Li- 
PHANT, New Eng., ii. 128. The a changes 
to o, for the noun ROMP is formed from the 
verb RAMP]. 

1711. STEELE, Spectator, 187. The 
air she gave herself was that of a ROMPING 
irl. Ibid., Tatler, No. 15. My cousin 
etty, the greatest ROMP in nature. 

1730. THOMSON, Autumn, 528. 
RoMP-loving miss Is haul'd about, in 
gallantry robust. 

1761. CHURCHILL, Rosciad. First, 
giggling, plotting chamber-maids arrive, 
Hoydens and ROMPS, led on by Gen'ral 
Clive. 

1882. " THORMANBY," Famous Rac- 
ing Men, 16. The north-country horse 
. . . could not touch Eclipse, who simply 
ROMPED IN, the easiest of winners. 

1891. Sporting Life, 20 Mar. I 
recall his recent half-mile at Oxford, when 
he ROMPED home in the easiest possible 
manner. 

1894. MOORE, Esther Waters, xxx. 
Favourites ROMPING in one after the other. 



gi 
B 



Roncher. 



Rook. 



RONCHER (or ROUNCHER), stlbs. 

(American). Anything of ex- 
ceptional size or quality. 

ROOK, subs. (old). i. A cheat: 
spec, gaming : also ROOKER : cf. 
sense 2 and PIGEON. Hence 
ROOKERY (or ROKING) = swind- 
ling; ROOKY (or ROOKISH) = 
rascally, scampish ; as verb. = to 
cheat, to swindle (B. E., DYCHE, 
GROSE, VAUX, BEE). Hence 
ROOKERY = (i) a gambling hell ; 
and (2) any place of ill repute : 
e.g. , (a) a brothel, (6) subalterns' 
barrack quarters, and (c) a neigh- 
bourhood occupied by a criminal 
or squalid population, a SLUM 
(q.v.\ 

1590. Sir Thomas More [Shakspeare 
Soc.] [OLIPHANT, New Eng-., ii. 8. There 
are the new verbs ROOKE (plunder) and 
sharke (prey) . . . ]. 

1603. DEKKER, Wonderful Year 
[GROSART, Works, i. 89]. ROOKES, catch- 
polls of poesy, That feed upon the fallings 
of hye wit 

1609. JONSON, Epiccene, i. i. Such 
a ROOK . . . that will betray his mistress 
to be seen. 

1641. MILTON, Ref. in England, i. 
A band of ROOKING officials. Ibid., ii. 
The Butcherly execution of Tormentors, 
ROOKS and Rakeshames sold to lucre. 

1672. WVCHERLEY, Love in a Wood, 
iii. 4. I dare no more venture myself with 
her alone, than a cully that has been bit 
dares venture himself in a tavern with an 
old ROOK. 

</.i697. AUBREY, Lives, ' Sir J. Den- 
ham.' He was much ROOKED by gamesters. 

1705. WARD, Hud. Rediv., i. ix. 22. 
For like a ROOK at Gam ing-Table ... he 
. . . cheats all sides with equal zeal. 

1748. SMOLLETT, Rod. Random, 
xlviii. He would not lend him money to 
squander away upon ROOKS. Ibid. (1751), 
Peregrine Pickle, Ixxxyiii. Having lost a 
few loose hundreds in his progress through 
the various ROOKERIES of the place. 

1760. LUCAS, Gamesters, 125. ROOKS 
are grown of late so intolerably Rude and 
Insolent. 



1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. iii. 
Guv nur, how long are ve to be kept in 
this here ROOKERY, before you give us a 
sight of this phenomony ? 

% 1836. DICKENS, Sketches fyBoz,-io$. 
That classical spot adjoining the brewery 
at the bottom of Tottenham-court-road, 
best known to the initiated as the 
ROOKERY. 

1840. THACKERAY, Captain ROOK 
and Mr. Pigeon [Title]. 

1869. Gent. Mag., July, 231. No 
opportunity of pigeon-plucking is lost by 
the majority of [billiard] markers . . . still 
he is not the worst form of ROOK. 

1883. Sat. Review, 31 March, 398, i. 
The registered lodging-houses are more 
decent than the old ROOKERIES, but the 
people who live in the new buildings differ 
little, if at all, from those who lived in the 
old. 

1884. SPENCER, Man v. State, 54. 
The misery, th disease, the mortality of 

ROOKERIES. 

2. (old). A simpleton ; a 
PIGEON (q. v. ). [One fit for ROOK- 
ING : see sense i]. 

1596. JONSON, Every Man in His 
Humour, i. i. Hang him, ROOK ! he ! 
why he has no more judgment than a malt 
horse. Ibid. (1599), Every Man Out o/ 
His Humour, i. i. A tame ROOKE, you'l 



take him presently. Ibid. (1602), Poetaster, 
i. i. What ? shall 1 have my son a Stager 
now? an Enghle for Players? a Gull? a 
ROOKE? a Shot-clog? to make suppers, 



and bee laught at? 

1607. DEKKER, Westward Ho, v. i. 
Let's be wise, and make ROOKS of them 
that, I warrant, are now setting purse-nets 
to conycatch us. 

1611. CHAPMAN, May-Day, iii. An 
arrant ROOK, by this light, a capable 
cheating stock ; a man may carry him up 
and down by the ears like a pipkin. 

3. (common). A clergyman : 
see SKYPILOT : Fr. corbeau. 

4. (tailors'). A sloven. 

5. (thieves'). A housebreaker's 

JEMMY (q.V.}\ a CROW (q.V.). 

GROSE. 

D 



Rookery. 



Rooster. 



Verb. I. See subs. 2. 

2. (gaming). To win heavily. 

1887. Snorting Times, 12 March, 2, 
i. We play nap, and ROOK George 
Fredericks all the way. 

ROOKERY, subs. (o\d).~See ROOK, i. 

2. (colloquial). A scolding- 
match. 

ROOKY (or ROOKEY), subs, (mili- 
tary). A recruit : see SNOOKER, 
and ROOK, subs. i. 

1893. KIPLING, Many Inventions, 
" His Private Honour." " 'Tis a hundred 
and thirty-seven ROOKIES to the bad, son." 
. . . You can't ride, you can't walk, you 
can't shoot, you, you awful ROOKIES. 

ROOM. TO LEAVE THE ROOM, 

verb. phr. (conventional school). 
To go to the W.C. 

Verb, (colloquial). To inhabit. 
Hence ROOMER = a lodger : spec, 
one occupying a single apartment. 

1864. Daily Telegraph, 26 July. It's 
risky, I know, but I'll try him. I never 
did ROOM with a Rooshian before, and I'd 
like to know them stript. 

1860. STOWE, Oldtown, 418. I am 
. . . living at the minister's ! and then I 
ROOM with Esther. 

i8[?] The Standard (Century). The 
mother . . . occupies herself more with 
the needs of the ROOMERS, or tenants, and 
makes more money. 

See APARTMENTS. 
ROOM BELOW. See RUMBELOW. 

ROORBACK, subs. (American). i. 
A journalistic, or printed lie. 

1876. Providence Journal, 9 May. 
Another infamous Democratic ROORBACK I 

1876. New York Tribune, 14 Ap. 
The manufacture of ROORBACKS against 
Mr. Elaine, though active, is not very 
successful in producing a merchantable 
article. 



ROOSHER, subs, (thieves'). Aeon- 
stable : see NARK. 

ROOST, subs, (colloquial). i. Bed : 
also ROOSTING-PLACE : also as 
verb. = (i) to sleep, and (2) to 
lodge. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 29. I ... slunk to my ROOSTING- 
PLACE where I fell asleep like a man. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. 
ii. Mammy Brimstone . . . has also 
"toddled" in to have a "flash of light- 
ning " before she goes to ROOST. 

1843. MONCRIEFF, Scamps of Lon- 
don, i. 2. You can go to ROOST whenever 
you like. 

1847. LYTTON, Lucretia, n. vii. And 
always give a look into my room every 
night before you go to ROOST. 

1857. O. W. HOLMES, Autocrat, vi. 
The world has a million ROOSTS for a man, 
but only one nest. 

1809. WHITEING,/0*.SY., IX. YOU 

must do like them, ROOST in the open air. 
Verb, (colloquial). I. See subs. 

2. (military). To imprison. 

3. (common). To cheat : TO 

ROOST OVER ONE = to get a 
RISE (q.V.). 

ROOSTER, subs. (American). A 
euphemism for * cock ' (a word 
impossible on the lips of any 
delicate American female) the 
male of the barndoor hen. 

1838. NEAL, Charcoal Sketches 
[BARTLETT]. As if the Sourish of a quill 
were the crowing of a ROOSTER. 

1855. IRVINO, Woolferfs Roost, 17. 
The Skinners and Cowboys of the Revo- 
lution, when they wrung the neck of a 
ROOSTER, did not trouble . . . whether 
they crowed for Congress or King George. 

1870. JUDD, Margaret, n. i. A 
huge turkey gobbling in the road, a 
ROOSTER crowing on the fence. 

1870. WHITE, Words and Their 
Uses [WALSH]. All birds are ROOSTERS 
. . . hens ... as well as the cocks. What 
. . . delicacy then ... in calling the cock 
a ROOSTER. 



Roost-lay. 



Rope. 



1880. Scribner's Mag., 770. The 
crow of an early-rising ROOSTER. 

2. (old : now American). A 
street brawler ; a rough. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. v. 
ROOSTERS and the ' peep-o'-day boys ' 
were out on a prowl for a spree. 

1885. N, Am. Rev., cxli. 434. The 
toughest set of ROOSTERS that ever shook 
the dust of any town. 

3. (venery). The female pu- 
dendum : see MONOSYLLABLE. 

See QUEER. 

ROOST- LAY, subs. phr. (old). 
Poultry stealing : see LAY. 
GROSE. 

ROOT (THE), subs, (common). i. 
Money. [ The root of all Evil.'] 

1899. D. Telegraph, 7 Ap., 8, 3. 
All the week they do their little bit o' 
graft ... an' take home THE ROOT on 
Sat 'days to the missus or the mam. 

2. (venery). The penis: see 
PRICK. Also MAN-ROOT. 

Verb, (common). To kick. 
Whence (The Leys School) ROOT- 
ABOUT = promiscuous football 
practice : also as verb. 

ROOTER, subs, (colloquial). A 
superlative : as a brutal attack ; 
a very smart dress ; a priceless 
gem ; a flagrant untruth, and so 
forth :. see WHOPPER. 

ROOTLE, -verb, (venery). To copu- 
late : see RIDE. Also TO DO A 
ROOTLE. 

ROOTY, subs, (military). See quot. 

1883. G. A. S[ALA], in Illttstr. L. 
News, 7 July, 3, 3. [A correspondent in 
S. Travancore says that in Tamil and 
Teluga "RStie" means a loaf of bread.] 
Long since Private Tommy Atkins^ re- 
turning from Indian service, has acclima- 



tised " R8tie " (pronounced " ROOTY ") in 
the vocabulary of the British barrack. Al 
least eight years ago I heard of a private 
soldier complaining in his barrack-room 
that he had not had his "proper section of 
ROOTY," i.e., his proper ration of bread. 

ROPE, subs, (football). i. In//. = 
a half-back. 

2. (old). A trick or knack; 
spec, (nautical) TO KNOW THE 

ROPES (or TO BE UP TO THE 

ROPES) = (i) to be expert, and 
(2) to be artful, FLY (y.v.); 
TO PULL (or WORK) THE 
ROPES = to control or direct ; 

TO ROPE IN (or ROPE) = (i) to 

lose a race by PULLING (q.v.) or 
other foul means ; (2) to decoy (in 
a mock-auction, gambling-den, 
&c.) : hence ROPER-IN = a decoy; 
and (3) to pull (or gather) in : as 
TO ROPE IN THE PIECES = to 

make money. Hence PLENTY 
OF ROPE = lots of choice ; AT 
THE END OF ONE'S ROPE = ex- 
hausted, done for. 

1623. MABBE, English Rogue [On- 
PHANT, New Eng., ii. 83. Among the 
verbs we see . . . GIVE HIM LINE. 

1670. RAY, Proverbs [BELL], 176. I 
thought I had given her ROPE enough, 
said Pedley, when he hanged his mare. 
Ibid. , 59. Let him alone with the saints' 
bell and give him ROPE enough. 

184^0. DANA, Two Years before the 
Mast, ix. The captain, who had been on 
the coast before, and KNEW THE ROPES, 
took the steering oar. 

1854. Cruise in Undine, 15. I don't 
mind young fellows having PLENTY OP 
ROPE. 

^.1859. New York Tribune [BART- 

LETT]. Mr. A complained that a 

ROPER-IN of a gambling-house had enticed 
him away, by whose means he bad lost all 
his money. 

1863. Eraser's Magazine, Dec. , ' The 
English Turf.' An order to pull a horse 
back, i.e., to ' ROPE ' him, or, as in a late 
suspicious case it was expressed, to ' put 
the strings on,' is seldom resorted to. 



Rope. 



Rope. 



1877. BESANT and RICE, Golden 
Butterfly, xliii. YouVe sought me out, 
and gone about this city with me ; you've 
put me UP TO ROPES. 

1882. McCABE, New York, xxxix. 
The visitors to these establishments are 
chiefly strangers in the city, who are lured, 
or ROPED, into them by agents of the pro- 
prietors. 

1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms, xliv. He KNEW THE ROPES better 
than he did. 

1889. Snacks, July, No. i. He were 
sixty-nine year old 'n' got ROPED IN by a 
young widow, 'n' chouseled out of twenty- 
six thousan' dollars. 

1892. ANSTEY, Voces Populi, ' Free 
Speech,' 103. Fellow-Citizens, I appeal 
to you, GIVE THIS MAN ROPE he's doing 
our work splendidly ! 

1897. MITFORD, Romance of Cage 
Frontier, i. xxi. I dare say 'e's bin 

PUTTING YOU UP TO THE ROPES. 

1900. BOOTHBY, Maker of Nations, 
i. You do require to KNOW THE ROPES. 
And what is more, you require to be very 
careful how you PULL THOSE ROPES when 
you are familiar with them. 

Verb. (old). I. To hang : see 
LADDER. Whence ROPE-TRICKS 
(ROPING or ROPERY) = roguery ; 
ROPE-RIPE = fit for hanging ; 
TO CRY ROPE = to warn, to bid 
beware ; ' give ROPE [or LINE] 
enough and he'll hang ' = ' He'll 
decoy himself to his undoing' 
(B. E.); MR. ROPER (or THE 
ROPER) = the hangman ; THE 
ROPE-WALK = the Old Bailey ; 

TO GO INTO THE ROPE-WALK = 

to take up criminal practice. 

IS53- WILSON, Arte of Rketorique 
[NARES]. ROPE-RIPE chiding [of very 
foul and abusive language]. 

1584. Three Ladies of London 
[NARES]. Thou art very pleasant, and 
full of thy ROPERY. 

1592. SHAKSPEARE, / Henry VI., i. 
3, 53. Winchester Goose, I CRY A ROPE I 
a rope 1 Ibid., 1593, Taming of the 
Shrew, i, 2. She may perhaps call him 
half a score knaves or so : an* he be; 
once, he'll rail in his ROPE-TRICKS. Id 



(1595), Rom. and Juliet, ii. 4, 154. What 
saucy merchant was this that was so full 
of his ROPERY. 

1611. CHAPMAN, May Day, iii. i. 
Lord, how you roll in your ROPE-RIPE 
terms ! 

1620. FLETCHER, Chances, iii. i. 
You'll leave this ROPERY, When you come 
to my years. 

1660. HOWELL, Lex. Tet. A ROPE- 
RIPE-ROGUE ripe for the rope, or deserving 
hanging. 

1663. BUTLER, Hudibras, i. i. 
Could tell what subtlest parrots mean 
That speak, and think, contrary clean ; 
What member 'tis of whom they talk 
When they CRY ROPE . . . 

^.1705. DORSET [CHALMERS, Eng. 
Poets, viii. 345]. The queen, overhearing 
what Betty did say, Would send MR. 
ROPER to take her away. 

1848. RUXTON, Far West, 14. 
Maybe you'll get ROPED. 

1871. Temple Bar, xxxi. 321. In 
the law, for instance, a barrister is said to 
have GONE INTO THE ROPE-WALK, when he 
has taken up practice in the Old Bailey. 

1882. SERJ. BALLANTINE, Experi- 
ences, viii. What was called the ROPE- 
WALK [at the Old Bailey] was represented 
by a set of agents clean neither in character 
nor person. 

2. (old). To beat with a rope : 
hence ROPE'S-END = a thrashing. 

.1460. Book of Precedence [E.E.T.S.] 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng,, i. 297. There are 
ROPPYS END, coke fyghtynge, callot . . .]. 

1593. SHAKSPEARE, Com. of Errors, 
iv. 4, 46. Mistress . . . respect your end ; 
or rather . . . beware the ROPE'S-END. 

PHRASES. A ROPE OF SAND 
(RAY) = (i) a feeble hold, and 
(2) an endless or unprofitable 

task ; ON THE HIGH ROPES 

= elated, arrogant : see HIGH 
HORSE (B. E., GROSE); 'What 
a ROPE ! ' = What the devil' ; 

TO PUT A ROPE TO THE EYE 

OF A NEEDLE = to attempt 
the impossible or absurd ; also 
the proverbial saying, 'A ROPE 
and butter : if one slip, the other 
may hold,' 



Roper (Mrs.) 



53 



Rose. 



ROPER (MRS.), subs, (naval). 
See quot. To MARRY MRS. 
ROPER = to list in the Marines. 

1868. BREWER, Phrase and Fable ; 
s.v. "MISTRESS ROPER." The Marines, 
or any one of them : so called by the 
regular sailors, because they handle the 
ropes like girls, not being used to them. 

ROPPER, subs, (tramps'). A scarf; 
a comforter. [? Wrapper.'] 

1873. GREENWOOD, In Strange Com- 
pany. A great deal of the lower part of 
the face hidden in the thick folds of a 

ROPPER. 

RORAM (or ? ROLAND), subs. (old). 
The sun : cf. OLIVER = moon. 
TUFTS. 

RORITORIOUS, adj. and adv. (old). 

Uproarious : cf. ' rory-tory ' 
(Devon) = showy, dashing. 

1821. EGAN, Real Life, I. 619. The 
Randallites were RORITORIOUS and flushed 
with good fortune. 

RoRTY(or RAUGHTY),O^'. (costers'). 

Of the very best. Hence 
RORTY-TOFF = an out-and-out 
swell ; RORTY-DASHER = a fine 

fellow J TO DO THE RORTY = to 

have a good time. 

.1864. VANCE, Chickaleary Cove, i. 
I have a RORTY gal. Ibid., 2. The vestat 
with the bins so RORTY. 

1887. HENLEY, Culture in Slums, 
'Rondeau,' 3. For in such RORTY wise 
doth Love express His blooming views. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 31. 
We'd a rare RORTY time of it. Ibid., 69. 
A doin' the RORTY. 

1899. WHITEING, John St., 49. She 
is Boadicea ... no ' British warrior 
queen ' of nursery recitation, but a right- 
down RAUGHTY gal leading her alley to 
battle against the Roman slops.' 

RORY-O'-MORE, subs. phr. (rhym- 
ing). (i ) The floor ; (2) a whore ; 
and (3) a door. Also RORY. 

1892. MARSHALL, Rhyme of the 
Rusher \Sporting Times, 29 Oct.]. I 
fired him out out of the RORY quick. 



RORYS (THE), subs, (military). 
The Princess Louise's (Argyll and 
Sutherland Highlanders). 

ROSARY, subs, (old). A base coin 
(temp. Ed. I.), resembling the 
current silver penny. [It bore 
(verso) a rose or rosette.] 

ROSE, subs, (showmen's). i. A 
bitch. 

2. (Stock Exchange). In //. 
= Buenos Ayres and Rosario 
Railway Ordinary Stock. 

3. (venery). The female pu- 
dendum : see MONOSYLLABLE ; 
and (4) a maidenhead. To 
PLUCK A ROSE = (i) to take a 
maidenhead, and (2) a woman's 
euphemism for micturition or 
defecation in the open air : cf. 
TO PICK A DAISY (GROSE, 
HALLIWELL). 

1730. SWIFT, Pan. on Dean [CHAL- 
MERS, Eng. Poets, xi. 489]. The bashful 
maid, to hide our blush . . . unobserved 
she boldly goes ... to PLUCK A ROSE. 

UNDER THE ROSE,/Ar. (collo- 
quial). Secretly ; in confidence 
(DYCHE, GROSE). 

1546. DYMOCKE, Letter to Vaughan 
[WALSH]. And the sayde questyon were 
asked with lysence, and that yt should 
remayn UNDER THE ROSSE, that is to say, 
to remain under the bourde and ne more 
to be rehersyd. 

1616-25. Court and^ Times James I. 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng., ii. 71. As to the 
prepositions we see UNDER THE ROSE]. 

1623. JONSON, Staple of News, ii. 
You are my lord, The rest are cogging 
Jacks, UNDER THE ROSE. 

1632. CHAPMAN, Ball, ii. 2. UNDER 
THE ROSE the lords do call me cousin. 

c. 1707. Old Song, ' Praise of the Dairy 
Maid' [DuRFEY, Pills, &c. (1707), i. . 
Such bliss ne'er oppose If e'er you'll be 

happy I SPEAK UNDER THE ROSE]. 

1753. Adventurer, No. 98. UNDER 
THE ROSE, I am a cursed favourite amongst 
them. 



Roseberys. 



54 



Rosy. 



1821. LAMB, Elia (Mrs. Battle). 
All people have their blind side their 
superstitions ; and I have heard her de- 
clare, UNDER THE ROSE, that Hearts was 
her favourite suit. 

i8[?] SNELLING, Coins, 2. The rose 
. . . symbol of secrecy . . . [was] used 
with great propriety on privy seals, which 
came into use about the middle of the 
twelfth century. 

1868. OUIDA, Under Two Flags, iv. 
All great ladies gamble in stock nowadays 

UNDER THE ROSE. 

1892. NISBET, Bushranger's Sweet- 
heart, 37. I no longer wondered that he 
should have quitted England UNDER THE 



A ROSE BETWEEN TWO THORNS 

(or NETTLES), phr. A woman 
sitting between two men : the 
usual retort is, mutatis mutandis, 
as in quot. 

1708-10. SWIFT, Polite Conversation, 
i. [Miss, sitting- between Neverout and 
the Colonel. ] Miss. Well ; here's A ROSE 
BETWEEN Two NETTLES. Neverout. No, 
Madam ; with submission, here's A 
NETTLE BETWEEN Two ROSES. 

TO STRIKE WITH A FEATHER 
AND STAB WITH A ROSE, &C., &C., 
phr. (colloquial). To chastise 
playfully. A Music Hall refrain 
(f.i888), but see quot. 

1612. WEBSTER, White Devil, iv. 
iv. Mar. If I take her near you, I'll 

CUT HER THROAT. Flam. WlTH A FAN 
OF FEATHERS. 

Ros EB ERYS, suh.(Stock Exchange). 
London County Council 2^ per 
cent. Stock. [Lord Rosebery 
was the first Chairman of the 
Council.] 

ROSEBUD, suds, (common). A 
debutante. 

1847. TENNYSON, Princess, Prol. A 
ROSEBUD set with little wilful thorns, And 
sweet as English air could make her, she. 

1885. Century, xl. 582. They flutter 
their brief hour in society. . . . Some of 
them hold on like grim death to ROSEBUD 
privileges. 



ROSH (or ROUSH), verb. (Royal 
Military Academy). To hustle ; 
to horse-play. Hence STOP ROSH- 
ING ! = an injunction to silence. 

ROSIN (RoziN or ROZIN-THE- 
BOW), subs. (old). i. A fiddler ; 
and (2) fiddler's lap. Whence as 
verb. = (i) to fiddle ; and (2) to 
drink : ROSINNED (HALLIWELL) 
= drunk. 

1607. DEKKER, Westward Hoe, v. 
i. They are but ROSINING, sir, and they'll 
scrape themselves into your company 
presently. 

1870. Figaro, 31 Oct. They play- 
fully call me " ROSIN," and ... yet I 
must, perforce, go on with my playing. 

1892. WATSON, Wops the Waif, iii. 
A short lame man, with a violin under his 
arm, suggesting the identity with the 
ROZIN announced. 

ROSSER. See ROZZER. 

ROST. TO TURN BOAST TO ROST, 
verb. phr. (old). To turn from 
swagger to humility (HALLI- 
WELL). 

ROSY, subs, (common). I. Drink; 
and (2) blood: i.e., CLARET (q.v.}. 
Hence ROSY-DROP = a grog blos- 
som. Also THE RUBY. 

1840. DICKENS, Old Curiosity Shop, 
vii. "Fred," said Mr. Swiveller, "re- 
member the once popular melody of 
Begone, Dull Care, . . . and pass the 
ROSY WINE." . . . " The ROSY WINE was, 
in fact, represented by one glass of cold gin 
and water." . . . Richard Swiveller 
finished THE ROSY, and applied himself to 
the composition of another glassful. " Ibid., 
Ivi. ' ' I shall wear this emblem of woman's 
perfidy, in remembrance of her with whom 
I shall never again thread the windings of 
the mazy ; whom I shall never more pledge 
in THE ROSY ; who during the short re- 
mainder of my existence will murder the 
balmy." 

1854. MARTIN and AYTOUN, Bon. 
Gualtier, " Lay of the Love-Lorn." Com- 
rades, you may pass THE ROSY. 

1891. Sporting Life, 25 Mar. God- 
dard was smothered in THE ROSY as he 
went to his chair. 



Rot. 



55 



Rot-gut. 



ROSY ABOUT THE GILLS, phr. 
(old). (I) ' fresh - coloured ' 
(B. E., GROSE), (2) = sanguine : 

cf. WHITE ABOUT THE GILLS. 

Also ROSY = favourable, aus- 
picious, healthy : whence THE 
ROSY = good fortune. 

1885. Field t 3 Oct. The future looks 
most ROSY. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 69. 
A doin the rorty and ROSY as lively as 
'Opkins's lot. Ibid.,jj. Not my idea of 

THE ROSY. 

ROT, subs, (common). Nonsense ; 

BOSH (q.V.) : also TOMMY-ROT 
(q.v.). As verb. to humbug ; 
to bully ; ROTTER = a good-for- 
nothing. 

1861. H. C. PENNELL, Puck on 
Pegasus, 'Sonnet by M. F. Tupper.' A 
monstrous pile of quintessential ROT. 

1879. BRADDON, Cloven Foot, iv. I 
thought he despised ballet-dancing, yet 
this is the third time I have seen him look- 
ing on at this ROT. 

1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
A rms, xliii. Half what them fellows puts 
down is regular ROT. 

1891. Harry Fludyer at Cambridge, 
106. Everybody here would have ROTTED 
me to death. 

1892. HENLEY and STEVENSON, 
Deacon Brodie, HI. i. 30. Oh, ROT, I 
ain't a parson. 

1894. MOORE, Esther Waters, xxxix. 
All bloody ROT ; who says I'm drunk ? 
Ibid., xi. A regular ROTTER; that man 
is about as bad as they make 'em. 

1899. Critic, 18 Mar., 13, 2. ROTTER, 
at both our seats of learning, is applied in- 
discriminately to all persons prone towards 
intellectual levity. But the ^word must 
have an elastic meaning ; for it embraces 
quacks and impostors who pass through 
existence with their tongue in their cheek. 

ROT IT (or ROT'UM), intj.phr. 
(common). Hang it ! damn it ! 

1664. COTTON, Virgil Travestie, 75. 
Where once your what shals' cal' urns 
(ROT UM ! It makes me mad I have forgot 
'urn). 



1682. DRYDEN, Prol. to Southern's 
Loyal Brother, 5. Both pretend love, and 
both (plague ROT 'EM ! ) hate. 

1742. FIELDING, Joseph Andrews, 
HI. x. I don't car* to abuse my profession ; 
but, ROT ME, if in my heart I am not 
inclined to the poet's side. 

^ 1759. STERNE, Tristram Shandy, i. 
xvi. ROT the hundred and twenty pounds 
he did not mind it a rush. 

1806. LAMB, Mr. fi.,i. t. ROT his 
impertinence I bid him . . . not trouble 
me with his scruples. 

1854. MARTIN and AYTOUN, Bon 
Gualtier Ballads, ' Lay of the Lovelorn. 1 
Sink the steamboats 1 cuss the railways ! 
ROT, oh ROT the Three-per-Cents 1 

ROTAN, subs. (old). Any wheeled 
vehicle (GROSE). 

ROT-GUT, subs. phr. (old). Poor 
drink : generic ; spec, bad beer or 
alcohol : also ROTTO (B. E., 
DYCHE, GROSE). 

1597. HARVEY [Ency. Diet.}. They 
overwhelm their panch daily with a kind 
of flat ROT-GUT, we with a bitter dreggish 
mall liquor. 

1633. HEYWOOD, Eng. Traveller, iv. 
5, 226 (Mermaid). Let not a tester scape 
To be consumed in ROT-GUT. 

1789. PARKER, Life's Painter, 40. 
That ... is better than all the ROT-GUT 
wine that ever came from Popish grounds. 

1796. WOLCOT, P. Pindar[rty>], 53. 
A poor old woman, with diarrhoea, Brought 
on by slip-slop tea and ROT-GUT beer, 
Went to Sangrado with a woeful face. 

1830. MARRYAT, King's Own, xxxiv. 
The master requested a glass of grog, as 
the ROT-GUT French wines had given him 
a pain in the bowels. 

1856. HUGHES, Tom Brown's School- 
Days, i. vi. Drinking bad spirits and 
punch, and such ROT-GUT stuff. 

1892. HENLEY and STEVENSON, 
Deacon Brodie, iv. 13. What brings the 
man from stuff like this to ROT-GUT and 
spittoons at Mother Clarke's. 

1895. Pall Mall Gaz. , 19 Sept., 9, i. 
I armed myself with a supply of the fieriest 
ROT-GUT . . . and set out to wish him 
good-bye. 



Rothschild. 



Rough. 



ROTHSCHILD. See COME. 

ROTTEN -ROW. To BELONG TO 
ROTTEN- ROW, verb. phr. (naval). 
To be laid up as past service : of 
ships. 

ROTTEN -SHEEP,.rfo./Ar. (Fenian). 
See quot. 

1889. Daily News, 3 July, 6. Sir 
Richard Webster suddenly asked him if 
ROTTEN SHEEP was a Fenian expression. 
It would mean traitor or a useless fellow, 
said Mr. Davitt, adding that he himself 
had used it in a letter. 

ROUGE, subs. (Eton). A point in 
the Eton game of football : 3 
ROUGES = I goal. 

ROUGH, subs, and adj. (old collo- 
quial : now largely recognised). 
A. ruffian : see quot. 1 868. As 
adj. = uncouth, hard' (B. E.), 
severe: also (of fish) coarse or 
stale. Also TO CUT (or TURN) 

UP ROUGH (or TO ROUGH UP) 
= (i) to be annoyed, and (2) 
to use strong language ; TO 

ROUGH ONE = tO VCX ; TO 
ROUGH IT (or LIE ROUGH) = (l) 

to endure hardship (GROSE) ; (2) 
to take pot-luck ; and (3) to sleep 
in one's clothes (B. E., GROSE) ; 

ROUGH-AND-READY = unpolished, 

happy-go-lucky ; ROUGH ON = 
hard, severe. 

1814. AUSTEN, Mansfield Park, 
xxxix. Take care of Fanny, mother. She 
is tender, and not used to ROUGH IT like 
the rest of us. 

1843. Punch, iv. 254. He has, to use 
his own expression, ROUGHED-ITE!! through 
his life. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., i. 
55. The poorer classes live mostly on fish, 
and the "dropped " and " ROUGH " fish is 
bought chiefly for the poor. 

1857. LAWRENCE, Guy Livingstone, 
iv. There was a railway in progress near, 
and the navvies and other ROUGHS came 
flocking in by hundreds. 



1857. F. LOCKER, Mabel. My 
jealous Pussy CUT UP ROUGH The day 
before I bought her muff With sable 
trimming. 

1858. TROLLOPE, Dr. Thorne, xxii. 
He was not going to hang back ... he 
had always been ROUGH AND READY when 
wanted and then, he was as READY as 
ever, AND ROUGH enough, too, God knows. 

1860-5. MOTLEY, Un. Netherlands, 
iv. 138. The great queen . . . was be- 
sought ... to name the man to whom 
she chose that the crown should devolve. 
'Not to a ROUGH,' said Elizabeth, sen- 
tentiously and grimly. 

1861. HUGHES, Tom Brown at 
Oxford, iii. Drysdale seemed to prick up 
his ears and get combative whenever the 
other spoke, and lost no chance of ROUGH* 
ING HIM in his replies. 

1868. DICKENS, All Year Round, 10 
Oct. I entertain so strong an objection to 
the euphonious softening of ruffian into 
ROUGH, which has lately become popular, 
that I restore the right word to the heading 
of this paper. 

1870. BRET HARTE, Luck of Roar- 
ing Camp. Yet a few of the spectators 
were, I think, touched by her sufferings. 
Sandy Tipton thought it was ROUGH ON 
Sal. 

1872. Judy, 29 May, 59, 2. Have 
the ornaments handy, in case he should 

TURN UP ROUGH. 

1883. BLACK, Yolande, 1. A lot ot 
English servants, who don't know what 
ROUGHING IT in a small shooting-box is 
like? 

1889. Pall Mall Gazette, 18 Nov., 
i, 3. It must have been during the early 
months of 1852 that Lord Salisbury 
" ROUGHED IT" on the colonial goldfields. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 80. 
Going to ROUGH UP. Ibid., 40. PLAYING 

IT ROUGH. 

1900. WHITE, West End, 355. She'll 
cut up ROUGH. But when she hears what 
you expect . . . she'll have a different 
feeling about it. 

ROUGH ON RATS, phr. (com- 
mon). A hard case. 

See RUFF. 



Rough-and- tumble. 5 7 



Round. 



ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE, subs. phr. 
(common). i. A free fight ; a 
mellay : as adj. = boisterous. 

1838. HALIBURTON, Clockmaker, 
28., i. "Fair fight, or ROUGH AND 
TUMBLE, we've whipped 'em, that's a 
fact." 

1873. Conservative, 15 Feb. His 
talent for ROUGH AND TUMBLE does not 
hold his own against the more scientific 
style and larger frame of the Oxford Pet. 

1883. PAYN, Thicker than Water, 
xiv. Ralph foresaw that there might be 

... U A ROUGH AND TUMBLE" with his 

young relative. 

1883. The Lute, 15 Jan., 20, i. 
11 That Dreadful Boy" is, in point of fact, 
an old-fashioned ROUGH AND TUMBLE 
farce. 

1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms, xxxvii. Mpran after his ROUGH 
AND TUMBLE with Jim . . . was ready for 
anything. 

2. (venery). The female pu- 
dendum : see MONOSYLLABLE : 
also THE ROUGH-AND-READY. 
Hence A BIT OF ROUGH = a 
woman. 



ROUGH-DIAMOND, ^.i. phr. (com- 
mon). A person of heart but 
no manners. 

1753. Adventurer, No. 64. He 
married a lady, whose influence would 
have polished the ROUGH DIAMOND by 
degrees. 

1853. LYTTON, My Novel, v. xiv. 
And believe me, though I'm a ROUGH 
DIAMOND, I have your true interest at 
heart. 



ROUGH-FAN (or ROUGH -FAM MY), 

subs. phr. (old). A waistcoat 
pocket. VAUX (1812). 

ROUGH MALKIN, subs. phr. (ve- 
nery). The female pudendum: 
see MONOSYLLABLE. 

1538. LYNDSAY, Works [LAiNG, i. 
131, 91]. I dreid ROUGH MALKIN die for 
droute. 



ROUGH-MUSIC, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). A clatter of sticks, pots, 
pans, and musical instruments : 
for the annoyance of offenders 
outraging public prejudice. Some- 
times accompanied by a burning 
in effigy. 

ROUGH RIDER'S-WASHTUB, subs, 
phr. (military). The barrack 
water-cart. 

ROUGHSHOD. To RIDE ROUGH- 
SHOD (OVER, or DOWN). To 
domineer ; to be void of GUTS 
(q.v.) or BOWELS (q.v.). 

1881. Nineteenth Century, xxvi. 
894. Henry [VIII.], in his later proceed- 
ings, RODE ROUGHSHOD over the constitu- 
tion of the Church. 

1892. LOWE, Bismarck, I. 283. The 
Chamber had again been RIDING ROUGH- 
SHOD over His Majesty's schemes of army 
reform. 

ROUGH-UP, subs. phr. (pugilists'). 
A fight at short notice. 

1889. Referee, 26 Jan. It may be 
remembered that only a few weeks ago, in 
a similar ROUGH UP with the gloves to that 
under notice. 

ROUND, subs, (colloquial). An 
appointed and established circuit 
of travel : generic : cf. ROUNDER. 
Hence GENTLEMAN OF THE 
ROUND = an officer of the watch. 
Thus (i) ROUND (topers') = (a) 
liquor enough to go round the 
table, and (&) a toast drunk round ; 
(3) ROUND (gamesters') = (a) 
cards to all, and (b) a hand in 
which all the players deal in turn ; 
(3) an habitual course of visits, 
calls for orders, inspection ; (4) a 
shot, a cartridge ; and (5) archery 
= a competition ; (6) (pugilists' 
old) = the successive periods of 
action in a mill : between fall and 
fall; and (pugilists' new, under 
Queensbury Rules) ~ so many en- 
counters so many minutes long. 



Round. 



Round. 



1596. JONSON, Every Man in his 
Humour, iii. 2. He had writhen himself 
into the habit of one of your poor infantry, 
your decay'd, ruinous, worm-eaten GEN- 
TLEMEN OF THE ROUND. Ibid. (1609), 
Epicoene, iv. 2. He walks the ROUND, up 
and down, through every room of the 
house. 

1620. FLETCHER, Philaster, ii. 4. 
Come, ladies, shall we take a ROUND ? as 
men Do walk a mile, women should talk 
an hour After supper. 

^.1667. JER. TAYLOR, Works (1835), i. 
615. Them that drank the ROUND, when 
they crouned their heads with folly and 
forgetfulness. 

1714. Spectator, 597. Those noisy 
slaves . . . take their early ROUNDS about 
the city in a morning. 

1715. ADDISON, Freeholder, No. 8. 
The Tories . . . can scarce find beauties 
enough ... to supply a single ROUND of 
October. 

<i735. GRANVILLE, Epigrams, &*c. 
[Century]. Women to cards may be com- 
par'd ; we play A ROUND or two, when us'd, 
we throw away. 

^.1790. B. FRANKLIN, Auto., 239. 
They . . . would salute with some ROUNDS 
fired before my door. 

1827. KEELED Christian Year, 
1 Morning. 1 The trivial ROUND, the com- 
mon task. 

1836. LANE, Mod. Egyptians, I. 143. 
They accompany the military guards in 
their nightly ROUNDS through . . . the 
metropolis. 

1847-8. THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, 
xxxiv. The Banbury man . . . polished 
him off in four ROUNDS. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., i. 
55. The costermongers . . . have mostly 
their little bit of a ROUND ; that is, they go 
only to certain places. 

1852. JUDSON, My st., &*c., of New 
York, i. 113. Taking a cruise about town, 
or going on a spree, is called taking a 
ROUND. 

1860. Punch, xxxviii. 169. How 
many ROUNDS do you say these ruffians 
fought? 

1868. WHYTE - MELVILLE, White 
Rose, i. iii. The start . . . would have 
ensured a ROUND of applause from any 
audience in Europe. 



1879. THOMPSON, Archery, 12. The 
National ROUND ' shot by the ladies of 

Great Britain . . . 

1880. ScribneSs Mag., 493. Taking 
his ROUNDS periodically, giving ample 
warning of his approach. 

1888. H. ADAMS, Albert Gallatin, 
540. The second ROUND in this diplomatic 
encounter closed with the British govern- 
ment fairly discomfited. 

2. (tramps'). Trousers: short 

for ROUND-THE-HOUSES (q.V.\ 

1893. EMERSON, Lippo, xiv. One 
day he walked straight into this kitchen 
clobbered in a black pair of ROUNDS, tight 
to his legs. 

Adj. (old colloquial). A 
general qualitative : = simple, 
straightforward, unmistakeable. 
Thus A ROUND SUM = (i) a 
large amount (B. E., GROSE), 
and (2) a sum stated in 
one term : e.g., thirty pounds, 
thirty shillings, three pence; A 
ROUND ANSWER = plain speech ; 
ROUND-DEALING = honest trad- 
ing (B. E., GROSE) ; ROUND 
TROT = a good pace ; ROUND 
TALE = the unvarnished truth ; 
ROUND OATH = a swingeing 
expletive ; ROUND - REPLY = a 
straight answer ; ROUNDLY = 
plainly, vehemently, briskly ; 
ROUND (or BROWN) DOZEN (see 
BROWN). 

1240. Middle English Poem [E. E. 
T. S. : The Ayenbyte, &>c., 234]. The 
tale of an hondred betokneth ane ROUNDS 

FIGURE. 

1593. HARVEY, Pierces Superog. 
\.Wks., ii. 49]. Hee it is, that hath it 
rightly in him indeede ; and can ROUNDLY 
doe the feate, with a witnesse. 

1596. SHAKSPEARE, M. of Venice, i. 
3, 104. Three thousand ducats ; 'tis a 
good ROUND SUM. Ibid. (1598), Hen. V., 
iv. i. Your reproof is something too 
ROUND. Ibid. (1602), Hamlet, iii. 2. Let 
her be ROUND with him. Ibid. (1602), 
Othello, i. 3, 90. I will a ROUND un- 



Round. 



59 



Round. 



varnish'd TALE deliver. Ibid, (1605), King 
Lear, i. 4. He answered me in the 
ROUNDEST manner, he would not. 

1598. FLORID, Worlde of Wordes^ 
s.v. Crollare il pero ... To tickle a 
woman ROUNDLIE. 

1620. FLETCHER and MASSINGER, 
Little Fr. Lawyer^ iii. 2. What a bold 
man of war 1 he invites me ROUNDLY. 

^.1626. BACON, Works (1887), ' Truth.' 
Clear and ROUND DEALING is the honour 
of man's nature. Ibid. (JOHNSON). The 
Kings interfered in a ROUND and princely 
MANNER. Ibid. t Polit. Fables, ii. He 
ROUNDLY and openly avows what most 
. . . conceal. 

1646. BROWNE, Vulg. Err., vi. i. 
The age of Noah is delivered to be just 
five hundred when he begat Sem ; whereas 
perhaps he might be somewhat above or 
below that ROUND and complete NUMBER. 

1700. CENTLIVRE, Perjured Hus- 
", iv. 2. Suppose I help you to a lady 

with a ROUND SUM ; you'd keep your word, 

and marry her ? 

1751. FIELDING, Amelia, vn. ix. I 
began to entertain some suspicions, and I 
took Mrs. Ellison very ROUNDLY to task 
upon them. 

1779. SHERIDAN, Critic, i. i. He 
ROUNDLY asserts that you had not the 
slightest invention or original genius. 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xliii. 
It's likely he might be brought to pay a 
ROUND SUM for restitution. Ibid. (1818), 
Rob Roy, vii. The self-willed girl told 
me ROUNDLY, that my dissuasions were 
absolutely in vain. 

1847. BRONTE, Jane Eyre, xxvii. 
You found ready and ROUND ANSWERS. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., H. 
526. This . . . pursuing the ROUND 
NUMBER system would supply nearly five 
articles, &c. 

1859. TENNYSON, Geraint. ROUND 
was their pace at first, but slackened soon. 

i8[?]. SHARP, Sermons, iv., ser. 18. 
Either a ROUND OATH or a curse. 

1882. BERESFORD HOPE, The Bran- 
dreths, i. v. Remonstrating ... in 
ROUND, bold, unconventional LANGUAGE. 

.1891. Lancet [Century], The 
destructors now consumed, ROUNDLY, 
about 500 loads of refuse a week. 



d. 1898. GLADSTONE, Might oj Right, 
175. [The United States] has risen, during 
one simple Century of freedom, in ROUND 
NUMBERS, from two millions to forty-five. 

2. (tailors'). Languid ; MON- 
DAYISH (q.v.) 

Verb, (colloquial). i. To be- 
tray ; to PEACH (q.v.) ; (2) to turn 
upon and berate : also TO ROUND 
ON. 

1864. Comhill Magazine, vi. 646. 
ROUNDING or treachery is always spoken 
of very indignantly, and often severely, 
and even murderously punished. 

1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, 
i. Both desisted from their own recrimina- 
tions as to ROUNDING and "blowing" on 
each other. 

1882. D. Telegraph, 6 Oct., 6, 2. 
The prisoner . . . denied the charge, but 
afterwards asked who had ROUNDED. 

1889. Answers, n May, 380. He 
ROUNDED on the warder, and the Governor, 
to catch the officer, ordered the prisoner to 
act as if the discovery had not been known. 

1897. MAUGHAM, Zzaa of Lambeth, 
xi. They've all ROUNDED on me except 
you, Tom. 

To ROUND UP, verb. phr. 
(colonial). To collect cattle: for 
inspection, branding, &c. : also 
as subs. Whence (general) = to 
complete ; to take stock. 

1881. GRANT, Bush Life. ROUND 
THEM UP, if possible, and let them stand a 
few minutes to breathe. 

1886. ROOSEVELT, Hunting Trips, 
ii. [A ranchman's] hardest work comes 
during the spring and fall ROUND-UPS. 

1886. Philadelphia Times, 3 May 
[Century]. That exception . . . will 
probably be included in the general ROUND- 
UP [of an agreement among railroads] to- 
morrow. 

1887. FRANCIS, S addle nnd Moccasin. 
As soon as the ROUND UP was completed, 
the branding was to take place. 

To BET ROUND, verb. phr. 
(racing). To bet upon (or against) 
several horses in a race. 



Round-about. 



60 



Round Mouth. 



ROUND-ABOUT, subs. (old). i. See 
quot. ^.1548. Also (2: modern) 
= a short, close-fitting jacket : 

also ROUNDER. 

c.1548. LATIMER, Sermons and Re- 
mains '(PARKER, Works, 108). [OLIPHANT, 
New Eng: t i. 516. The huge farthingales 
worn by women are called ROUND-ABOUTS]. 

1848. DURIVAGE, Stray Subjects, 
81. One of the party in a green ROUND- 
ABOUT. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 24. 
That's me in plaid dittos and ROUNDER. 

3. (thieves'). A female thief s 
all-round pocket. 

4. (common). i. A horizontal 
wheel or frame, turned by a small 
engine, and furnished with 
wooden horses or carriages ; a 
merry-go-round. 

1872. BESANT & RICE, R. M. Morti- 
boy, xxiii. He got ... a Punch and 
Judy, swing-boats, a ROUNDABOUT, and a 
performing monkey. 

5. (prison). A treadmill ; the 

EVERLASTING-STAIRCASE (^.Z>.). 

6. (thieves'). Ahousebreaker's 
tool : it cuts a round piece, about 
five inches in diameter, out of a 
shutter or door; also ROUND 
ROBIN (GROSE). 

ROUND-AND-SQUARE, thr. (rhym- 
ing). Everywhere. 

ROUND-BETTING. See ROUND. 

ROUNDEM, subs, (thieves'). A 
button. 

ROUNDER, subs, (common). i. A 
whoremaster : see MUTTON - 
MONGER: spec, a FANCY-MAN 
(q.v.). 

2. (common). A person or 
thing taking or making a ROUND 
(subs. t senses 1-6). 

3. (common). A round of 
cheers. 



1882. BLACKMORE, Christowell, 
xxxiii. Was off amid a ROUNDER of 
' Thank'e, ma'am, thank'e.' 

4. (common). A big oath. 

1886. CAMPBELL - PRAED, Heaa 
Station, 33. We can all swear a ROUNDER 
in the stock-yard. 

5. (American). A man who 
goes habitually from bar to bar. 

1883. Century, xxxvi. 249. Midnight 
ROUNDERS, with nose laid over . . . _as 
evidence of their prowess in bar-room mills 
and paving-stone riots. 

1886. Philadelphia Times [Century}. 
G . . . had made himself conspicuous as 

a ROUNDER. 

1887. Christ, Union, 25 Aug. A 
very large proportion . . . are old 
ROUNDERS, who return again and again. 

TO ROUND (or ROUND IN THE 

EAR), verb. phr. (old). To 
whisper. 

1604. SHAKSPEARE, Winter's Tale, 
i. 2, 217. They're . . . whispering, 

ROUNDING. 

1611. COTGRAVE, Dict.,s.v. S'ACCOU- 
TER A L'OREILLE. 

See ROUND, subs, and adj. % 
and ROUND-ABOUT. 

ROUNDHEAD, subs, (old colloquial). 
A PURITAN (q.v.). [The hair 
was worn closely cropped.] To 

ROUND THE HEAD = tO CUt the 

hair round. B. E., GROSE. 

ROUNDY (or ROUNDY-KEN), Subs. 

phr. (old). A watch-house ; a 
lock-up. 

1828. EGAN, Finish to Life in Lon- 
don, 245. To avoid a night's lodging in 

the ROUNDY-KEN. 

ROUND MOUTH (THE), subs. phr. 
(old). The fundament : also 
BROTHER ROUND-MOUTH. 
'BROTHER ROUND -MOUTH 
SPEAKS ' = ' He has let a fart ' 

(GROSE). 



Round 0. 



61 



Rouse. 



ROUND O, subs. phr. (old). A 
thumping lie : see WHOPPER. 

1605. London Prodigal,.*. How- 
soever the Devonshire man is, my master's 
mind is bloody, that's a ROUND O [aside], 
and, therefore, Sir, entreaty is but vain. 

ROUND ROBIN, suds. phr. (old). 
I. See quots. 

1563. Fox, Acts and Monuments, 
523. _ [OLIPHANT, New Eng., i. 550. 
Scurrilous Protestants used to call the 
Host ROUND ROBIN ; we apply the phrase 
to petitions.] 

^.1569. COVERDALE, Works, \. 426. 

Certain fond talkers . . . invent and apply 
to this most holy sacrament names of 
despite and reproach, as to call it Jack-in- 
the-Box and ROUND-ROBIN. 

1661. HEYLIN, Reformation, L 99. 
Reproached it [the Sacrament] by the 
odius names of Jack-in-a-box, ROUND 
ROBIN, Sacrament of the Halter . . . 

2. (old).^-A religious (= poli- 
tical) brawler. 

1692. HACKKT, Life of Williams, 
ii. 177. These Wat Tylers and ROUND 
ROBINS being driven . . . out of White- 
hall. 

3. (colloquial). See quots. 
(GROSE). 

1626. Court and Times Chas. /., i. 
187. [OLIPHANT, New Eng.,\\. 75. We 
find the first instance of a ROUND ROBIN 
in 1626 ; sailors write their names and 
marks in a good round circular form so 
that none might appear for a ringleader.] 

1660. Rump Songs, i. 66. The 
ROUND-ROBIN by a like fate, Is Victor in 
the Tubb. 

1755- World, 146. A ROUND ROBIN 
... of above a thousand of the most 
respectable names. 

1776. FORBES [BOSWELL, Johnson 
(HILL), in. 83]. A ROUND ROBIN, as the 
sailors call it ... so as not to let it be 
known who puts his name first or last to 
the paper. 

1838. LYTTON, Alice, iv. iii. The 
whole country shall sign a ROUND ROBIN 
to tell him it's a shame. 

1886. D. Telegraph, 24 Feb. The 
members of the Royal Commission sent to 
Sir George Grey a sort of ROUND-ROBIN. 



4 and 5. (thieves'). See quot. 
and ROUNDABOUT. 

1889. CLARKSON and RICHARDSON, 
Police, 341. Go in for a ROUND ROBIN, or 
good heavy swindle. 

ROUND-SHAVING, subs. phr. (collo- 
quial). A reprimand. 

ROUND-THE-HOUSES, subs. phr. 

(rhyming). Trousers : cf. 

ROUNDS. 

1892. MARSHALL, The Rusher 
[Sporting Times, 29 Oct.]. My ROUND- 
THE-HOUSES I tried to dry, By the Anna 
Maria's heat. 

1898. Pink 'Un and Pelican, 153. 
Mr. Commissioner Kerr . . . once in- 
formed a snip who was after a chap for the 
price of a couple o' pair o 1 light ROUND- 
MY-HOUSES . . . that there was no such 
thing as taking credit. 

RON NY, subs. (old). A potato; a 

MURPHY (q.V.). 

1821. HAGGART, Life, 90. A field 
where some coves were rousting RONNIES. 

ROUSE, subs. (old). (i) A large 
glass full of liquor ; a big bum- 
per ; (2) a carouse. 

1596. SHAKSPEARE, Hamlet, i. 4. 
The king doth wake to-night, and take his 
ROUSE. 

1609. JONSON, Silent Woman, iii. 2. 
We will have a ROUSE in each of them. 

1609. DEKKER, Guls Hornbook 
[NARES]. Tell me, thou soverai^ne 
skinker, how to take the German's upsy- 
freeze, the Danish ROUZA, the Surtyer's 
stoop of Rhenish. 

1618. DRAYTON, Verses in CHAP- 
MAN'S Hesiod. To fetch deep ROUSES 
from Jove's plenteous cup. 

1618. FLETCHER, Loyal Subject, iv. 
5. Take the ROUSE freely, sir, 'Twill warm 
your blood, and make you fit for jollity. 
Ibid. (1624), Wife for a Month, ii. 6. 
We'll have a ROUSE before we go to bed, 
friends. 

c. 1620. HEALEY, Disc, of New World, 
84. Gone is my flesh, yet thirst lies in 
the bone, Give me one ROUSE, my friend, 
and get thee gone. 



Rouser. 



62 



Rover. 



1623. MASSINGER, Duke of Milan, 
I. i. Your lord, by his patent, stands 
bound to take his ROUSE. 

1840. TENNYSON, Vision of Sin. 
Fill the cup and fill the can, Have a ROUSE 
before the morn. 

3. (thieves'). See quot. 

1888. Ev. Standard, 26 Dec. If the 
constable did not allow him to go to the 
station in a cab he would ROUSE (a slang 
term for fighting). 

ROUSER, subs, (common). Generic 
for anything exceptional. Hence 
ROUSING = very, great, startling, 
exciting. 

1677. COLES, Eng.-Lat. Diet. A 
ROUSING lye, mendacium magnificum. 

1719. DURFEY, Pills to Purge, i. 264. 
She grown coy, Call'd him Boy, He gett- 
ing from her cry'd, Zoons, you'r a ROUZER. 

1767. STERNE, Tristram Shandy, 
vi. 109. A Jew . . . had the ill-luck to 
die . . . and leave his widow in possession 
of a ROUSING trade. 

t868. Putnam's Mag., Jan. He is a 
ROUSER at making punch. 

1893, MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 64. 
We made the whole place ring a ROUSER, 
till Jolter implored us to stop. 

2. (old). A tremendous fart. 

1731. SWIFT, Strefhon and Chloe, 
. . . Let fly a ROUSER in her face. 

ROUST, subs, (old). i. The act of 
kind ; whence, as verb. to 
copulate : see GREENS and RIDE. 

1599. HALL, Satires, iv. i. And 
with her cruel lady-star uprose She seeks 
her third ROUST on her silent toes. 

Verb, (old). i. See subs. ; (2) 
to frisk ; to disturb ; to shift ; 
(3) to steal : see ROUSTABOUT. 

1599. HALL, Satires, iv. 2. While 
yet he ROUSTETH at some uncouth signe 

1821. HAGGART, Life, 66. She 

raised the doun that the swag was 

ROUSTED. Ibid., 90. Some coves were 
ROUSTING ronnies. 



ROUSTABOUT (ROUSE-ABOUT or 
ROUSER), subs, (common). i. 
See quots. ; (2) a fidget, and (3) 
a term of contempt. 

1868. Putnam's Mag:., Sept., 'On 
the Plains.' As the steamer was leaving 
the levee, about forty black deck-hands or 
ROUSTABOUTS gathered at the bow, and 
sang a rude Western sailor's song. 

1871. DE VERB, Americanisms, 225. 
The Western rough is frequently a ROUST- 
ABOUT a term evidently derived from the 
old English ROUST, quoted by Jamieson as 
meaning to disturb. He is noisy, but not 
necessarily a rowdy, and frequently a 
useful member of society in some capacity 
which requires hard work and constant 
exposure. 

1883. EDW. E. MORRIS [Long-man's 
Mag., June, 178]. This poor young man 
had been a ROUSTABOUT hand on a station 
[in Australia] (a colonial expression for a 
man who can be put to any kind of work). 

1890. New York Sun, 23 Mar. An 
old Mississippi ROUSTABOUT. 

1894. Sydney Morning- Herald, 6 
Oct. A rougher person perhaps a happier 
is the ROUSEABOUT, who makes himself 
useful in the shearing shed . . . sometimes 
. . . spoken of as a ROUSTABOUT. 

[?]. American [Ctntury]. Men . . . 
who used to be ROUSTERS, and are now 
broken down and played out 

ROUT, subs, (old). i. A fashion- 
able party ; and (2) ' a card 
party at a private house ' (GROSE). 
As verb. = to assemble in com- 
pany. 

1775. SHERIDAN, Rivals, i. i. A 
tall Irish baronet she met ... at Lady 
MacshufHe's ROUT. 

i8[?]. MACAULAY [TREVELYAN, i. 
265]. I have attended a very splendid 
ROUT at Lord Grey's. 

ROUTER, subs, (old). A cow : hence 

ROUTER -PUTTERS = COWs'-feet 

(HAGGART). 

ROVE, verb, (old : now recognised). 
' To wander idly up and down.' 
B. E. (^.1696). 

ROVER, subs. (American). I. See 
quot. 



Row. 



Row. 



1889. LELAND, in S. /. & C. t s.v. 
ROVERS . . . Young and good-looking 
women who go into brokers' shops, law- 
offices, stores, . . . many employed by 
churches, hospitals, &c. ; others are cheats, 
who have many ingenious devices to obtain 
money . . . Also largely employed for 
purposes of intrigue. 

2. (old). A pirate ; a free- 
booter ; (formerly : now recog- 
nised) a 'wanderer ; a vagabond.' 
B. E., GROSE. Also (B. E.) 
TO RUN (or SHOOT) AT ROVERS 
= ' to run wild, to act at random.' 

1440. Prompt. Parv., 437. Robare 
. . . yn the see (ROVARE, or thef of the 
se). 

</.i5i2. FABYAN, Chronicle, 359. The 
best men of ye cytie by thyse ryotous 
persones were spoyled and robbid ; and by 
the ROUERS also of ye see. 

1611. Bible, i Chron. xii. 21. And 
they helped David against the band of the 
ROVERS. 

1715. SOUTH, Sermons [Century], 
Providence never SHOOTS AT ROVERS. 

^.1765. POCOCK, Desc. of East, n. i. 
51. The Maltese ROVERS take away every 
thing that is valuable both from Turks and 
Christians. 

1827. COOPER, Red ROVER, ii. 
The ship of that notorious pirate, the Red 
ROVER. 

3. (common). In pi. = the 
thoughts QAMIESON). 

Row, subs, (originally University: 
now general ). i . A disturbance ; 
a SHINDY (g.v.) ; boisterous talk : 
also ROWING : hence (2) a mob 
(Univ.). Whence ROWING-MAN 
(ow as ough in * bough ') = a 
SPREESTER (q.v.\ Also as verb. 
= (i) to abuse; to create a dis- 
turbance (see quot. 1825) ; TO 
GET INTO A ROW = to get into 
trouble ; [GROSE : s.v. ROUT, 
' shortened into ROW, Cambridge 
slang.'] 

1794. Gent. Mag., 1085. And was 
very near rustication [at Cambridge], 
merely for kicking up a ROW after a 
beakering party. 



i 8a % , BVRON [to Mn Murray, 20 
May]. Tell [Campbell] all this, and let 
him take it in good part ; for I might have 
rammed it into a review and ROWED him. 

1823. Hints /or Oxford, 6. Faultless 
and frowning bemgs, who must needs be 
ever ROWING you at lecture. 



^ M &> ' '58 [Note, 

Uxtord. ] ROWING A FELLOW going 
with a party in the dead of night to a 
man's room, nailing or screwing his oak 
up, so as it cannot be opened on the inside, 
knocking at his door, calling out fire, and 
when he comes to the door, burning a 
quantity of shavings ... to impress him 
with the idea that the staircase ... is on 
fire. And when he is frightened almost 
out of his senses, setting up a most hideous 
horse-laugh and running away. 

1826. CROKER \Croker Papers, i. 
331], Where there was a smart young 
waiter, whom, however, these two English- 
men used to ROW exceedingly. 



abou 



1837. BARHAM, Ingoldsby Leg., i. 
Next morning there was a ereat ROW 



1852. BRISTED, Five Years in Eng. 
Univ. More disposed to ROWING than 
reading. 

1864. Eton School Days, n. Chud- 
leigh was going to speak . . . when 
Chorley cried, Hold your ROW, will you ? 

1883. Punch, n August, 72, 2. My 
sire will ROW me vigorously, My mother 
sore complain. 

1889. Time, Aug., 149. I have a 
reminiscence of ROWING her for growing as 
tall as myself. Ibid., 151. He ROWS her 
so fearful that Kitty thinks he'll be sure to 
desert her now. 

THE Row, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). I. Rotten Row, Hyde 
Park; and (2) Paternoster Row 
(booksellers'). 

1812. COMBE, Syntax, Picturesque, 
c. xxiii. 'Tis not confined, we all must 
know, To vulgar tradesmen in THE Row. 

1879. DICKENS, Diet, of London, s.v. 
BOND STREET. Those who would see the 
lounger of the present day must look for 
him in THE Row. 



Rowdy. 



64 



Rowl. 



PHRASES. A HARD (or LONG) 
ROW TO HOE = a difficult task ; 
TO HOE ONE'S OWN ROW = to 
mind one's own business ; TO 

ROW IN THE SAME BOAT = tO 

share. 

1840. CROCKETT, Tour Down East, 
69. Gentlemen, I never opposed Andrew 
Jackson for the sake of popularity. I 
knew it was a HARD ROW TO HOE. 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life, 122. 
God help that poor creatur, she's GOT A 

HARD ROW TO HOE. 

1871. MULFORD in San Francisco 
Chronicle. Now that I have HOED MY 
OWN ROW and rumor gives me a false con- 
dition, they deluge me with congratula- 
tions. 

1892. GUNTER, Miss Dividends, iv. 
I am afraid Harry Lawrence has A HARD 

ROW TO HOE. 

ROWDY, subs, (common). I. A 
blackguard; and (2) a political 
brawler (American). Hence 
ROWDY (ROWDY - DOWDY, or 
ROWDY -DOW) = blackguardly, 
turbulent, vulgar ; ROWDYISM 
(ROWDY-DOW, or ROWDINESS) = 
blackguardism. 

1842. DICKENS, American Notes, 
xiii. Two . . . demi-johns, were con- 
signed to the least ROWDY of the party for 
safe-keeping 

1852. T$KiSTEp,UfperTenTJtousand, 
33. Whose team is that ? Some ROWDY'S, 
I perceive. Ibid. , 69. My red wheels . . . 
are rather ROWDY, I must own ; not exactly 
the thing for a gentleman. 

1852. Cadger's ^//[LABERN, Comic 
Song Book}. Jane of the Hatchet-face 
divine Just did the ROWDY-DOWDY poker. 

1857. KINGSLEY, Two Years Ago, x. 
A drunken, gambling, cut-throat ROWDY. 

1857. Baltimore Clipper, 8 Sept. 
'Convention of Baltimore ROWDIES.' 
[Title.] 

1859. BARTLETT, Did. American- 
isms, s.v. ROWDY. The ROWDY nomen- 
clature of the principal cities may now be 
classified as follows : NEW YORK. Dead 
Rabbits ; Bowery Boys ; Forty Thieves ; 
Skinners; Robin Hood Club; Huge 



Paws ; Short Boys ; Swill Boys ; Shoulder- 
hitters; Killers. PHILADELPHIA. Killers; 
Schuylkill Annihilates ; Moyamensing 
Hounds ; Northern Liberty Skivers ; and 
Peep of Day Boys. BALTIMORE. Plug- 
Usjlies ; Rough Skins ; Double Pumps ; 
Tigers ; Black Snakes ; Stay Lates ; Hard 
Times ; Little Fellows ; Blood Tubs ; Dips; 
Ranters ; Rip-Raps ; and Gladiators. 

1866. HOWELLS, Venetian Life, xx. 
The lasagnone is a loafer . . . but he can- 
not be a ROWDY, that pleasing blossom 
on the nose of our fast, high-fed, thick- 
blooded civilisation. 

1871. Observer, 24 Dec. Everything 
seems to be ROWDY, and to have about it a 
flavour of brandy-and- water ; yet the people 
are industrious and well-ordered. 

1882. ANSTEY, Vice-Versa, y. " I 
was strolling down Petty Cury with two 
other men, smoking (Bosher of ' Pot- 
house,' and Peebles of ' Cats,' both pretty 
well known up there for general ROWDI- 
NESS, you know dear old friends of 
mine)." 

1884. D. Telegraph, n Feb., 5, 2. 
His methods of controversy have been 
coarse ; his Republicanism has been pushed 

tO ROWDYISM. 

1892. Pall MallQaz., 12 Mar., 6, 2. 
I have never heard him use any bad lan- 
guage, or behave in any ROWDY kind of 
way. 

3. (common). Money : see 
RHINO : cf. RUDDY. 

1841. LEMAN REDE, Sixteen String 
Jack, i. 4. Theo. (aside.) What's ROWDY, 
I wonder? 

1842. EG AN, Bould Yeoman [Capt. 
Macheath]. I will not down you, if you 
will but disburse your ROWDY with me. 

1849. THACKERAY, Pendennis, Ixxv. 
From your account of him he seems a 
muff and not a beauty. But he has got 
THE ROWDY, which is the thing. 

1856. Punch, xxxi. 79. The Queen 
of Oude, May spend her ROWD, Y, careless 
and sans souci. 

ROWL, verb. (American University). 
To recite well : cf. RUSH. 

2. (old).- Money: see RHINO. 



Royal. 



Rub. 



ROYAL, subs, (dockers'). &quot. 

1883. SIMS, How the Poor Live, 96. 
Regular men, called ROYALS, are pretty 
sure to be taken on, their names being 
on the ganger's list and called out by 
him as a matter of course. Ibid., 98. It 
is when the ROYALS are exhausted that the 
real excitement begins. 

ROYAL-GOATS, subs.phr. (military). 
The Royal Welsh Fusiliers 
(formerly the Twenty-third Foot.) 
Also ' ' Nanny-goats. " [A goat is 
kept as a regimental pet.] 

ROYAL-IMAGE, su6s. phr. (old). 
In//. = money : see RHINO. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 287. Poor Gil Bias was left be- 
hind, without a ROYAL IMAGE in his pocket. 

ROYAL POVERTY, subs. phr. (old). 
Gin : see WHITE SATIN. 
BAILEY (1728). 

ROYAL-SCAMP, subs. phr. (old). A 

GENTLEMAN OF THE ROAD (q.V.) 

as distinguished from a foot-pad 
(GROSE). 

ROYSTER. See ROISTER. 
ROZIN. See ROSIN. 

ROZZER, subs, (thieves'). A police- 
man : see BEAK. 

i8[?] Globe [S. J. & C. ]. The prisoner, 
seeing a detective watching him, called 
out to a companion, " There's a ROSSER ! " 
The term is, as the magistrate opined, a 
new one. 

1893. EMERSON, Signer Lippp, xviii. 
If the ROZZERS was to see him in bona 
clobber they'd take him for a gun. Ibid. , 
xx. So I took on knocker up, but when I 
began the ROZZERS was down on me. 

1898. Pink 'Un and Pelican, 237. 
What does she do ? Lor 1 doomy 1 she 
acksherly sticks 'er 'ead out o' winder an' 
calls up a ROZZER ! 

1901. Sporting Times, 6 Ap., i. 4. 
From calmness I don't mean to lapse, I 
scorn you counterjumping chaps, Or you're 
some ROZZER'S nark, perhaps. 

R's. See THREE R's (THE). 



RUB, subs, (colloquial). i. An 
obstacle ; a disputable point ; a 
difficulty : also (Old Cant) = a 
hard shift (B. E., GROSE). 
Hence, as verb. = to hinder, to 
obstruct. Also RUBBER. 

1590. NASHE, Pasquits Apologie 
[Works, \. 214], Some small RUBS, as I 
heare, haue been cast in my way to hinder 
my comming forth, but they shall not 
profit. 

1599. SHAKSPEARE, Henry V., ii. i. 
We doubt not now But every RUB is 
smoothed on our way. Ibid. (1602-3), 
Hamlet, iii. i. To die, to sleep ; To 
sleep : perchance to dream : ay, there's 
the RUB. Ibid. (1605). Lear, ii. 2. Tis 
the duke's pleasure, Whose disposition, all 
the world well knows, Will not be RUBB'D 
nor stopped. 

1606. DAY, lie of Guts, ii. 4. The 
duke is comming to bowles, and I would 
not for halfe mine office you shuld be a RUB 
in the way of his patience. 

1613. PURCHAS, Pilgrimage, 243. 
Perceiumg that their power and authoritie 
would be a perillous RUB in his way. 

1684. BUNYAN, Pilgrim's Progress, 
n. We have met with some notable RUBS 
already, and what are yet to come we 
knew not. 

1724. HARPER in Harlequin Shep- 
pard. He broke thro' all RUBBS in the 
whitt. 

1762. GOLDSMITH, Life or Nash 
[ Works, 552 (Globe)]. But he experienced 
such RUBS as these, and a thousand other 
mortifications, every day. 

1840. DICKENS, Old Curiosity Shop, 
vii. ' Look at the worst side of the 
question then,' said Trent. . . . ' Suppose 
he lives.' ' To be sure,' said Dick, ' There's 
the RUB.' 

1880. TROLLOPE, Duke's Children, 
Ixxi. He who lives on comfortable terms 
with the partner of his troubles can affo rd 
to acknowledge the ordinary RUBS of life. 

2. (military). A loan : as of a 
newspaper. 

Verb, (venery). i. To mastur- 
bate; TO FRIG (g.v.) : also TO 
RUB UP (or OFF) ; also subs. = 
an act of masturbation. Hence 
RUBBER-UP = a masturbator ; 



Rub. 



66 



Rub. 



RUBBING-UP = masturbation ; TO 
DO A RUB UP = to masturbate. 
Fr. se branler, se coller une 
douce, &.c. Also (2) to copulate : 
see RIDE. 

1599. JONSON, Ev. Man Out of His 
Humour, iv. 4. Carlo. Let a man sweat 
once a week in a hot-house and be well 
RUBBED and froted, with a good plump 
juicy wench, and sweet linen, he shall 
ne'er have the pox. 

1656. FLETCHER, Martiall, xi. 30. 
Thus Phillis RUB ME UP, thus tickle me. 

1700. CONGREVE, Way of the World, 
\. g. They must wait a RUB OFF, if I want 
appetite. 

1772. BRIDGES, Burlesque Homer, 
5. Thou that RUBS UP the girls of Lilla. 
Ibid, i 42. Ever since I saw . . . Thetis 
stroking your knees, as on the ground you 
sat, And RUBBING UP, the LORD knows 
what. 

3. (old). To run or take away. 
Also to RUB OFF; TO RUB TO 
THE WHITT = to send to New- 
gate (B. E., GROSE). 

.1550. BANSLEY, Pryde of Women 
[HAZLITT, Pop. Poet., iv. 238]. RUBBE 
forthe, olde trottes, to the devyl worde. 

1676. Warening for Housekeepers 
[FARMER, Musa Pedestris (1896), 30.] O 
then they RUB us to the whitt. 

1688. SHAVWELLfSguzreofAIsatza, 
i. The Captain whipt his Porker out, and 
away RUBB'D Prigster and call'd the watch: 

^.1704. Gentleman Instructed, 351. 
In a huff he ... RUB'D OFF, and left the 
field to Eusebius. 

1737. Old Ballad, 'Black Proces- 
sion [Bacchus and Venus], Toure you 
well ; hark you well, see Where they are 
RUBB'D. 

1859. MATSELL, Vocabulum, 'Hun- 
dred Stretches Hence.' Some RUBBED to 
whit had napped a winder. 

COLLOQUIALISMS. To RUB 
ALONG (ON or OUT) = (i) to man- 
age somehow, to live indifferently, 
and (2) = to live tolerably well 
(B. E., .1696); TO RUB DOWN 
= I (police) to search : the 
prisoner's arms are raised, the 
vest unbuttoned, and the officer's 
hand passed over the body : also 



TO RUN THE RULE OVER J (2) to 
scold, rate, or take to task ; TO 
RUB IN = (i) to nag, annoy, or 
aggravate persistently : Fr. monter 
une scie ; (2) to peg away, insist, 
or exaggerate ; TO BE RUBBED 
ABOUT = to be made a conveni- 
ence ; TO RUB OUT (tailors') = to 
cut out, also (2 colloquial) to 
forget old grievances, to cancel a 
debt : also TO RUB OFF ; TO RUB 
OUT = to kill : hence RUBBED 
OUT = dead ; TO RUB UP = (i) to 
refresh the memory (B. E., c. 1696, 
GROSE), (2) to polish (B. E., c. 
1696 : now recognised), and (3) 
to touch a tender point or remem- 
brance : hence TO RUB UP THE 
WRONG WAY = to irritate, to 
annoy : also TO RUB ON THE 

GAULE ; TO GIVE A RUB OF THE 

THUMB = to explain or show the 
way. 
1461-73. Paston Letters. I wyll 

RUBBE ON. 

1546. HEYWOOD, Proverbs. RUB 

HIM ON THE GALL., 

1610. Mirr. Mag., 463. Enough, 
you RUB'D the guiltie ON THE GAULE. 

(1704. BROWN, Works, i. 193. Our 
affairs have made a shift TO RUB ON with- 
out any great conjuring. Ibid., ii. 118. 
With a little RUBBING UP my memory I 
may be able to give you the lives of all the 
mitred hogs. 

1778. SHERIDAN, Rivals, iii. 4. I 
must RUB UP my balancing, and chasing, 
and boring. 

a. 1790. FRANKLIN, Autobiog., 73. We 
had nearly consumed all my pistoles, and 
now just RUBBED ON from hand to mouth. 

1816. SCOTT, Old Mortality, xliii. 
Evandale is the man on earth whom he 
hates worst, and . . . were he once RUBBED 
OUT of the way, all, he thinks, will be his 
own. 

1842. Punch's Almanac. You see 
Jinks with a three days' beard you RUB 
OUT the slates forget his action, and. 

1848. RUXTON, Far West, 65. In- 
articulate words reached the ears of his 
companions as they bent over him. RUBBED 
OUT at last, they heard him say. 



Rubbacrock. 



Rubber-neck. 



1850. TENNYSON, In Memoriam, 
Ixxxix. We RUB each other's angles DOWN. 

1863. READE, Hard Cash, i. 46. 
What I have got to RUB UP is my Divinity 
and my Logic ; especially my Logic. Will 
you grind Logic with me ? 

1868. WHYTE MELVILLE, White 
Rose, i. xxv. It is no unusual drawback 
to married life, this same knack of RUBBING 

THE HAIR THE WRONG WAY. 

1870. D. News, 26 May. ' Metro- 
politan Police.' RUBBING it IN well is a 
well-known phrase amongst the doubtful 
portion of the constabulary. 

1877. BESANT and RICE, Golden 
Butterfly, vii. Clawed I should have 
been, mauled I should have been, RUBBED 
OUT I should have been, on that green and 
grassy spot, but for the crack of Mr. 
Dunquerque's rifle. 

1879. JAMES, Bundle oj Letters, No. 
IV. She is for ever throwing Boston up 
at me ; I can't get rid of Boston. The 
other one RUBS IT INTO me, too ; but in a 
different way. 

1883. J. HAWTHORNE, Dust, 291. 
Philip . . . was always RUBBED THE 
WRONG WAY by Lady Flanders. 

1888. ROLF BOLDREWOOD, Robbery 
Under Arms, xxix. I suppose he'd RUB 
THEM OUT, every mother's son, if he could. 

1892. NISBET, Bushranger's Sweet- 
heart, 86. We managed to RUB ALONG on 
our fifteen shillings per week. 

1898. Pink ' Un and Pelican, 163. 
Jubber was neither hard nor remorseless 
as a rule unless they RUBBED HIM THE 
WRONG WAY. 

1900. WHITE, West^End, 25. I knew 
this was the aspect which he desired to 
see, so I RUBBED it as bright as I could 
and held it up [speaking of patronage]. 

1902. Pall Mall Gaz., 24 Jan., i. 2. 
Mr. Rowe . . . will RUB this fact INTO 
them before they are much older. 

RUBBACROCK, suds, (colloquial). 
A filthy slattern ; a PUZZLE (q.v.). 

RUBBAGE (or RUBBIDGE), subs. 
(vulgar). Rubbish. 

RUBBER, subs, (gaming). i. A 
round of three games : also RUB 
(B. E., GROSE). 



1635. QUARLES, Emblems, i. 10. It 
is the trade of man, and ev'ry sinner Has 
play'd his RUBBERS ; every soul's a winner. 

1680. AUBREY, Eminent Men [OLi- 
PHANT, New Eng., ii. 121. Among new 
words are ... RUBBER (of a game . . .)]. 

1733- Adventurer, 35. Mrs. Overall, 
the housekeeper, having lost three RUBBERS 
at whist running. 

1843. DICKENS, Martin Chuzzlewit, 
xi. I've seen him play whist, with my 
father for a partner ; and a good RUBBER, 
too. 

1869. THACKERAY, What Makes my 
Heart to Thrill and Glow ? 7. Why was 
it that I laughed and grinned at whist, 
although I lost the RUB ? 

2. (old). A slight reproof ; 
'reflections upon any one . . . 
a rencounter with drawn swords.' 
B. E. (c. 1696). Also RUB. 

3. (American). In pi. = India- 
rubber over-shoes ; goloshes. 

1888. Detroit Free Press, 8 Dec. 
When I was a young man I had to slosh 
around dark, wet nights in RUBBERS that 
didn't fit. 

4. (old). Seequ&t. 

1606. DECKER, Seven Deadly Sinnes, 
32 (ARBER'S ED.). A number of poore 
handy-crafts-men, that before wrought 
night and day, made stocks to themselves 
of ten groates, and crowns a peece, and 
what by Betting, Lurches, RUBBERS, and 
such tricks, they never took care for a 
good daies worke afterwards. 

RUBBER-NECK (or RUBBER), verb, 
phr. (American). See quots. 

Also TO RUBBER AROUND. 

1901. FLYNT and WALTON, The 
Powers that Prey, 34. He was perfectly 
at a loss what to do next, except as he 
phrased it TO RUBBER AROUND, which is 
technical and esoteric for keeping his eyes 
and ears open. Ibid., 60. They RUBBER 
so that they aint thinkin' 'bout their 
leathers . . . they'll screw their necks till 
you'll think they was never goun' to get 
em in shape again. Ibid., 121. You 
RUBBER too much with your neck, you do. 

1902. Pall Mall Gaz., 8 Mar., 10, x. 
It required considerable craning and 
stretching, or, as the Americans pithily 
describe it, RUBBER-NECKING, to allow 
even an occasional glimpse. 



Rubbish. 



68 



Ruck. 



RUBBISH, subs. (old). Money : 
generic : see RHINO. 

1821. EGAN, Real Life, i. 142. She 
shall stump up the RUBBISH before I leave 
her. 

RUBICON, subs, (gaming). Used 
as in quot. 

1896. FARJEON, Betray. John Ford- 
haw, in. 288. " RUBICON'D agin !" cried 
Maxwell with a oath, dashin" "is fist on the 
table. Ibid., 292. Eight fifty. Double 
the stake if you like. Thirteen 'underd. 
Another RUBICON . . . Luck wos agin me 
last night ; looks as if it wos turning. 

RUBIGO, subs, (old Scots'). The 
penis: see PRICK. 

^.1584. R. SEMPILL, Leg. of the 
Bischop, &>c. His RUBIGO began to ryiss. 

RUBRIC. IN (or OUT OF) THE 
RUBRIC, phr. (old). In (or out 
of) holy orders. 

1699. FARQUHAR, Constant Couple, 
\. i. Who would have thought to find 
thee OUT OF THE RUBRIC so long? I 
thought thy hypocrisy had been wedded 
to a pulpit cushion long ago. 

RUB-RUB, phr. (old). ' Us'd on 
Greens when the Bowl Flees too 
fast, to have it forbear, if Words 
wou'd do it.' B. E. (^.1696). 

RUBY, subs, (colloquial). i. Blood; 
CLARET (q.V.). Hence RUBY- 
FACE = ' a very red face ' (B. E. , 
GROSE) ; whence (2) RUBY = a 

GROG-BLOSSOM (q.V.}. 

<:.i6[?]. Rox. Ballads [Brit. Mus., 
C2o, f. 7, 214], 'The Little Barly-Corne,' 
ii. It will inrich the palest face, and with 
RUBIES it adorne. 

1839. AINSWORTH, Jack Sheppard, 
n. v. Jolly nose, the bright RUBIES that 
garnish thy tip. 

1860. Chambers' Journal, xiii. 348. 
The fluid of which Harvey demonstrated 
the circulation in the human body, he 
speaks of as 'claret,' or 'carmine,' or 

RUBY, 



1886-9. MARSHALL ['Pomes,' 49], 
Honest Bill. You'd be sure to nark the 
RUBY round his gilt. 

1888. Sporting Life, 11 Dec. Saun- 
ders stopped a flush right-hander with his 
organ of smell, the RUBY duly making its 
appearance. 

RUCK, subs, (colloquial). i. The 
mob (B. E., ^.1696) ; whence (2) 
= rubbish. Hence TO COME IN 

WITH THE RUCK (or TO RUCK 

IN) = to come in unnoticed, or 
(racing) unplaced. 

1846. Punch, xi. 15. Who floored 
Sir Robin? . . . Who headed the RUCK? 
" I," said Lord George so able, Racy 
speech and mind stable, "And I headed 
the RUCK." 

1857. HOLMES, Autocrat of the 
Breakfast Table, iv. First turn in the 
race . . . Several shew in advance of the 

RUCK. 

1864. Derby Day, 18. It will be 
unpleasant for me if Ascapart is in the 

RUCK. 

1874. COLLINS, Frances, xxiii. I 
don't care for Americans myself, men or 
women . . . the RUCK want educating. 

1879. Scrib. Mag., vm. 159. He's 
stuck up and citified, and wears gloves . . . 
and all that sort of RUCK [Century], 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 75. 
A Missus with money, and RUCKS IN along 
o' the rest. 

^.1893. BAKER, Heart of Africa, 112. 
I soon found myself in the RUCK of men, 
horses, and drawn swords. 

Verb, (common). i. To in- 
form; TO SPLIT (q.v.} ; (2) = to 
turn RUSTY (q.v.); and (3) to 
drag or crease. 

1884. D. News, 20 Sept., 2, 2. I 
told the prisoner that I was not going to 
RUCK ON an old pal. 

1889. Answers, 13 Ap., 313. To 
such of their own fraternity who RUCK or 
"blab" upon them, they most certainly 
entertain feelings of the deepest hatred. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 71. 
Mine RUCKED when I turned up in trousers 
in checks. 

1894. EGERTON, Keynotes, 177. They 
[trousers] RUCK UJ* at the knees. 



Ruction. 



Ruff. 



TO RUCK (or RUCKET) ALONG, 

verb. phr. (Oxford University). 
To walk quickly. 

RUCTION, subs, (common). An up- 
roar. HALLIWELL (1847). 

1833. NEAL, Down-Easters, n. 14. 
Ryled, all over, inside and out Ryled 

RUCTIONS. 

1884. Echo, 19 March, 2, 3. The 
police, when there is a RUCTION, drop 
quietly over a wall into the midst of the 
combatants. 

1894. Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 29 
Mar., 4, 7. The RUCTIONS at the Freeman 
meeting yesterday. 

1900. WHITE, West End, 124. 
RUCTIONS took place . . . and ... he 
went so far as to tell his wife that "he 
didn't care a damn what she did." 

RUDDER, subs, (venery). The 
penis : see PRICK. Also (Somer- 
set) = copulation. 

^.1638. CAREW, Rapture. My RUDDER 
with thy bold hand . . . thou shalt steer 
and guide . . . into Love's channel. 

1760. ROBERTSON of Struan, Poems, 
95. Sure Venus never can be tir'd While 
pow'rful Mars directs the RUDDER. 

RUDDOCKS (or RED, or GOLDEN, 
RUDDOCKS), subs, (old). Money: 
specifically gold : also RUDDY. 
[Formerly gold was convention- 
ally " red" (' a girdle of gold so 
red ' and ' good red gold ' Percy 
Rel.).] Cf. RIDGE and REDGE. 

1570. TURBERVILLE [CHALMER'S, 

Poets, ii. 647]. The greedie carle came 
. . . and saw the pot behind Where RUD- 
DOCKS lay, but RUDDOCKS could not find. 

1585. Chaise of Change \Cens. Lite- 
raria, ix. 435]. He must have his RED 
RUDDOCKES ready. 

1598. FLORIO, Worlde of Wordes, 
s.v. Zanfrone. Used also for crownes, 
great pieces of gold, as our countrymen 

say RED-RUDDOCKES. 

1600. MUNDAY and DRAYTON, Old- 
castle, \. 2. My fingers' end do itch To be 
upon those golden RUDDOCKS. 



1607. HEYWOOD, Fair Maid ( Works, 
H. 277]. I believe they be little better 
than pirates, they are so flush of their 

RUDOCKS. 

RUDESBY, subs, (old colloquial). 
A rude boisterous person. 
[JOHNSON (1745) 'a low word.'] 

Cf. SNEAKSBY, IDLESBIE, WIGS- 
BY, &C. 

I593/ SHAKSPEARE, Taming of the 
Shrew, iii. 2. A mad-brain RUDESBY, full 
of spleen. Ibid. (1602), Twelfth Night, 
iv. i. Be not offended, dear Cesario, 
RUDESBY, begone. 

RUDGE-GOWN, subs. (old). An 
outcast : also RUG-GOWN. Whence 
RUG-GOWNED = meanly ; RUG- 
HEADED = shock-headed. 

1597- SHAKSPEARE, Richard II., u. 
i, 156. We must supplant these rough 
RUG-HEADED kerns. 

1622. FLETCHER and MASSINGER, 
Prophetess, ii. 2. I had rather meet An 
enemy in the field than stand thus nodding 
Like to a RUG-GOUNED watchman. 

1654. Witts Recr. [NARES]. A 
RUDG-GOWNS ribs are good to spur a horse. 

RUE, subs, (colloquial). Repent- 
ance : as RUE-QUARREL, verb. = 
to repent and withdraw ; RUE- 
BARGAIN = smart-money. 

1817. SCOTT, Rob Roy, xxvii. He 
said it would cost him a guinea of RUE- 
BARGAIN to the man who had bought his 
pony before he could get it back again. 

.1852. Traits of Amer. Humour, I. 
226. I'm for no RUES and after-claps. 

RUFF, subs. (old). 'An old- 
fashioned double band.' B. E. 
(^.1696). 

2. (old). A court card : hence 
TO RUFF = to trump. [RuFF = 
a game similar to whist, ' in 
which the greatest sorte of sute 
carrieth away the game.' PEELE, 
i, 211, note.] See TRUMP. 

1593. FLORIO, Worlde of Wordes, 
s.v. Ronfar. A game at cardes called 
RUFFE or trump. 



Ruffian. 



Ruffle. 



1611. COTGRAVE, Diet., s.v. Ronfie. 
Hand-RUFF at cards. 

1837. DICKENS, Pickwick, xxxv. 
Miss Bolo would inquire . . . why Mr. 
Pickwick had . . . RUFFED the spade, or 
finessed the heart. 

3. (old). See quots. 

1592. HARVEY, Four Letters. He 
... in the RUFF of his greatest jollity was 
fain to cry M. Churchyard a mercy to 
print. 

1610. Mirr. Mag., 607. In the 
RUFFE of his felicitie ... he began dis- 
daine His bastard lord's usurp'd authority. 

4. (racing). RUFF'S Guide to 
the Turf. 



THE WOODEN 
(old). The pillory. 

RUFFIAN, subs. (old). i. Spec, the 
Devil : also OLD RUFFIAN. 
Whence (2) anyone behaving 
roughly or severely : as a magis- 
trate, and esp. a pimp (see PONCE) 
or bawdy-house bully, 'a brutal 
bully or assassin' (B. E., ROW- 
LANDS, COLES, GROSE), also a 
pugilist all spirit and no science ; 
and so forth. Hence as adj. 
(i) wanton (GROSE) ; (2) = 
brutal ; and (3) = violent. As 
verb. (i) to pimp, (2) to bully, 
and (3) to maul. Also RUF- 
FIANLY (or RUFFINOUS) = wan- 
ton, outrageous. ' RUFFIAN cook 
RUFFIAN, he scalded the devil 
in his feathers ' (GROSE), said of 
a bad cook. RUFFIAN'S-HALL 
t. 1679). Cf. ROUGH. 



.1450. York Plays [Shakspeare Soc.], 
i. 17. [OLIPHANT, NewEng.,\. 288. The 
Devil is spoken of as RUFFYNE, which 
perhaps led to our RUFFIAN.] 

^.1556. UDALL [RICHARDSON!. Re- 
pent of light RUFFIANYNG and blasphe- 
mous carnal gospelling. 

1567. HARM AN, Caveat, 86. Gerry 
gan, the RUFFIAN clye thee. A torde in 
thy mouth, the deuyll take thee. 



1593. HARVEY, Four Letters [Cen- 
tury]. RUFFIANLY hair, unseemly apparel, 
and more unseemly company. 

1593. SHAKSPEARE, Com. Errors, ii. 
135. That this body, consecrate to thee, 
jj/ RUFFIAN lust should be contaminate. 
Ibid. (1598), 2 Hen. IV., iii. i, 22. The 
winds, Who take the RUFFIAN billows by 
the top. Ibid., iv. 5, 125. Have you a 
RUFFIAN that will swear, drink, dance, 
Revel in the night? Ibid. (1602). If it 
hath RUFFIAN'D so upon the sea, What 
ribs of oak . . . can hold the mortice ? 

1598. FLORIO, WorTde of Wordes, 
s.v. Ruffiano, a RUFFIN, a swagrer, a 
swashbuckler. Ibid., Ruffb, a RUFIAN, a 
ruffling roister ; . . . also rude, RUFFE, or 
rough. 

1603. CHAPMAN, Iliad, vi. 456. To 
shelter the sad monument from all the 
RUFFINOUS pride Of storms and tempests. 

1609. DEKKER, Lanthorne and 
Candlelight [GROSART, Wks. (1886), iii. 
203]. The RUFFIN cly the nab of the 
Harman beck. 

1622. FLETCHER, Beggar's Bush, 
' Maunder's Initiation.' Strine and trine 
to the RUFFIN (justice of peace). 

1657. SMITH, Sermons, 208. She 
could not mince finer . . . nor carry more 
trappings about her, than our RUFFIANS 
and wantons do at this day. 

^.1679. BLOUNT [HALLIWELL]. RUF- 
FIANS HALL. So that part of Smithfield 
was antiently called, which is now the 
horse-market, where tryals of skill were 
plaid by ordinary RUFFIANLY people with 
sword and buckler. 

1819. ^ MOORE, Tom Crib, 57. Ham- 
mering right and left with ponderous 
swing, RUFFIAN'D the reeling youngster 
round the ring. 

1834. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, in. ii. 
' Not now, in the devil's name ! ' said 
Turpin, stamping impatiently. ' We shall 
have OLD RUFFIN himself amongst us 
presently, if Peter Bradley grows gallant. ' 

RUFFLE, subs. (Old Cant). A 
handcuff : usually in //. (GROSE, 
VAUX). 

1826. Old Song, 'Bobby and His 
Mary' [Univ. Songst., iii. 108], And 
RUFFLES soon they popped on. 

1839. AINSWORTH, Jack Shepj>ard, 
II. ix. ' I'll accommodate you with a pair 
of RUFFLES,' and he proceeded to handcuff 
his captive. 



Ruffler. 



Ruffmans. 



THE RUFFLE, subs. phr. (con- 
jurors'). The flourish to a trick 
at cards : the deck held firmly at 
the lower end by the left hand 
is rapidly manipulated by the 
right hand with a crackling noise. 

See RUFFLER. 

RUFFLER (RUFFLE, or RUFFLING 
ROISTER), subs, (old). i. Spec, 
as in quot. 1565 (in Statue 27 
Hen. VIII. = a sham soldier or 
sailor) : whence (2) a bully, cheat, 
or violent or swaggering black- 
guard (AWDELEY, HARMAN, 
B. E., COLES, GROSE). RUFFLE 
(also RUFFLER), verb. (i) to 
plunder, to rob : spec, with 
menaces and imprecations ; and 
(2) to swagger, flaunt it, put on 
SIDE (g.v.) or be turbulent ; 
RUFFLER Y = violence ; RUFFERED 
= boisterous ; and RUFFLE = to 
dispute. 

c. 1537-50. Old Poem [OLIPHANT, New 
Eng., i. 512. There are the Dutch words 
RUFFLE (brag), and trick up (ornare).] 

1565. HARMAN, Caveat, 29. Now 
these RUFFLARS, the out castes of seruing 
men, when begginge or crauinge fayles, 
then they pycke and pylfer, from other 
inferiour beggeres that they meete by the 
waye, as Roages, Pallyardes, Mortes, and 
Doxes. Ibid. A RUFFLAR . . . wretchedly 
wanders aboute the most shyres of this 
realme ; and with stoute audacyte de- 
maundeth where he thinketh he may be 
bolde, and circomspecte ynough as he 
sethe cause to aske charitie. 

1579. Mariage of Witt and Wis~ 
dome. My man Lobb Is become a jolly 

RUFFLER. 

1582. STANIHURST, JEneid, iii. But 
neere ioynctlye brayeth with RUFFLERVE 
rumboled /Etna. 

1593. SHAKSPEARE, Titus And., \. 
2. One fit to bandy with thy lawless sons, 
And RUFFLE in the Commonwealth of 
Rome. Ibid. (1605), King Lear, iii. 7. I 
am your host, With robber's hands, my 
hospitable favours You should not RUFFLE 
thus. Ibid. (1609), Lover's Compl. Some- 
time a blusterer, that the RUFFLE knew Of 
court and city. 



1598. FLORID, Worlde of Wordes, 
s.v. Ruffo . . . Also a RUFFLING ROISTER 
or ruffian, a swaggrer. 

1600. JONSON, Cynthia's Revels, iii. 
3. Lady, I cannot RUFFLE IT in red and 
yellow. 

1610. Mirr. for Mag., 473. And 
what the RUFFLER spake, the lout took for 
a verdite, For there the best was worst, 
worst best regarded. Ibid., 165. To 
Britain over seas from Rome went I, To 
quaile the Picts, that RUFFLED in that ile. 

1611. MIDDLETON, Roaring Girl 
[DODSLEY, Old Plays (REED), vi. 108]. 
Brother to this upright man, flesh and 
blood, RUFFLING Tear-cat is my name ; 
and a RUFFLER is my stile, my title, my 
profession. 

1614. FLETCHER, Wit without 
Money, V. 3. Can I not go about . . . 
But such companions as you must RUFFLE 
me. 

1641. MILTON, Ref. in Eng., i. 
Revil'd and RUFFL'D by an insulting . . . 
Prelate. 

1712. STEELE, Spectator, 132. Our 
company was so far from being soured by 
this little RUFFLE that Ephraim and he 
took particular delight in being agreeable 
to each other for the future. 

1818. SCOTT, Midlothian, xxv. A 
gude fellow that has been but a twelve- 
month on the lay, be he RUFFLER or 
padder. Ibid. (1821), Kenilworth, xiii. 
He looked like a gay RUFFLING serving- 
man. 

1830. LYTTON, Paul Clifford, xvi. 
Oh, what a beast is a niggardly RUFFLER, 
Nabbing grabbing all for himself. 

1890. Answers, 27 Dec. In this 
fashion I RUFFLED like a prince for six 
years on a regular income of nothing per 
annum. 

RUFFMANS, subs. (Old Cant). A 
hedge : cf. quot. 1610 (HARMAN, 
B. E., HALL, GROSE). 

1565. HARMAN, Caveat, 86. We 
wyll fylche some duddes of the RUFFE- 
MANS. 

1608. DEKKER, The Beggars' Curse 
[GKOSART, Works, iii. 203]; If we 
mawnd Pannam, lap, or Ruff-peck, U 
ooplars of yarum : he cuts, bing to the 
RUFFMANS. Ibid. (1612), O, Per seO 
[FARMER, Musa Pedestrts^tf), 12]. We 
did creepe, and plant in RUFFE-MANS low. 



Ruff-peck. 



Rule. 



1610. ROWLANDS, Martin Mark-all, 
40 (H. Club, 1874). RUFFMANS, not the 
hedge or bushes as heretofore : but now 
the eauesing of houses or roofes '. Crag- 
mans is now vsed for the hedge. 

1611. MIDDLETON and DEKKER, 
Roaring- Girl, v. i. I woud lib all the 
lightmans . . . under the RUFFEMANS. 

1622. FLETCHER, Beggar's Bush, iii. 
3. To mill from the RUFFMANS com- 
missions and slates. 

RUFF- PECK, subs. phr. (Old Cant). 
Bacon. HARM AN (1567) ; 
RowLANDs(i6io); HEAD (1665); 
B. E. (^.1696) ; COLES (1724). 

1608. DEKKER, The Beggars' Curse 
[GROSART, Works, iii. 203]. If we 
maund Pannam, lap, or RUFF-PECK. 

1641. BROME, Jovial Crew, ' The 
Merry Beggars." Here's RUFFPECK and 
Casson, and all of the best. 

1707. SHIRLEY, Triumph or Wit, 
' Rum-Mort's Faithless Maunder." RUFF- 
PECK still hung on my back. 

RUFTY-TUFTY, adj. and adv. (old). 
Rough ; boisterous ; indecent. 
Also as intj. hey-day. 

1592. BRETON, Pilgrimage to Para* 
dise, 16. To sweare and stare until we 
come to shore, then RIFTY-TUFTY each one 
to his skore. 

1606. CHAPMAN, Gentleman Usher, 
v. i. Were I as Vince is, I would handle 
you In RUFTY-TUFTY wise. 

1606. Wily Beguiled [HAWKINS, 
Eng. Drama, iii. 302]. RUFTY, TUFTY, 
are you so frolick ? 

dT.i82i. KEATS, Cap and Bells, 86. 
RUFFY-TUFFY heads Of cinder wenches 
meet and soil each other. 



&s. (venery). The female 
pudendum: see MONOSYLLABLE. 

RUG, subs. (Rugby School). A 
Rugbeian. 

1892. Evening Standard, 25 Nov., 
4, 5. The controversy was started by the 
death of one who succumbed to his exer- 
tions. " An Old Medical RUG " describes 
the sufferings he endured. 

2. (old). A sort of drink. 



1653. TAYLOR, Certaine Travailes, 
&*c. ^ And ... of all drinks potable, 
RUG is most puisant, potent, notable. 

3. (old). A tug. Whence as 
verb. to pull roughly ; TO GET 
A RUG = to get a share ; to get 

THERE (q.V.). 

13 [?]. York Plays, 286. No ruthe 
were it to RUG the and ryue the in ropes. 

1734. POPE, Donne, iv. 134. He 
knows . . . who GOT his pension RUG. 

1814. SCOTT, Waverley, xlii. The 
gude auld times of RUGGING and riving . . . 
are come back again. Ibid. (1824), Red- 
gauntlett, xi. Sir John . . . voted for 
the Union, having GOTTEN it was thought, 
A RUG OF the compensations. 

ALL RUG, phr. (Old Cant). 
All right ; certain (B. E., GROSE). 

1714. LUCAS, Gamesters, 104. His 
great dexterity of making ALL RUGG at 
Dice, as the Cant is for securing a Die 
between two fingers. 

See BUG and RUGGINS. 
RUGE. See ROUGE. 

RUGGER, subs, (schools'). Foot- 
ball : the Rugby game. 

1902. /*// Mall Gaz., 2 Jan., 9, 2. 
The article which, so far as figures go, 
proves to the hilt England's degeneracy at 
RUGGER, and most lucidly gives the 
reason why. 

RUGGIN'S, subs. (Old Cant). Bed; 
AT RUG = asleep : e.g., ' the 
whole gill is safe AT RUG ' = * the 
household are asleep ' (GROSE). 

1828. LYTTON, Pelham, Ixxxii. 
Stash the lush ... ay, and toddle off to 
RUGGINS. 

RUIN. See BLUE RUIN. 

RULE. To RUN THE RULE OVER, 
verb. phr. (thieves'). See quot; 
TO FRISK 



1879. J. W. HORSLEY [Macm. Mas;., 
xl. 504]. I am going to RUN THE RULE 
OVER (search) you. 



Rule-of -three. 



73 



Rum. 



1886. D. News, 30 Sept. , iii. 2. When 
paraded each man has THE RULE RUN 
OVER HIM, z>., searched. 

1886-96. MARSHALL, He Slumbered 
['Pomes,' 1 1 8]. A lady . . . RAN THE 
RULE through all His pockets for her cheek 
was fairly tall. 

RULE-OF-THREE (THE), Subs. pkr. 

(venery). i. The/ir andtestes; 
and (2) copulation: cf. ADDITION, 
MULTIPLICATION, and SUB- 
TRACTION. 

c.1720. DURFEY, Pills, &=c., vi. 329. 
This accountant will come without e'er a 
Fee, And warrants a Boy by his RULE OF 
THREE. 

RULE OF THUMB, subs. pkr. (col- 
loquial). A rough-and-ready 
way : practical rather than exactly 
scientific (GROSE). 

1809. SYDNEY SMITH, To Francis 
Jeffrey, 3 Sep. We'll settle men and things 

by RULE OF THUMB. 

1864. D. Review, 17 Oct. The result, 
we trust, will exemplify the value of Science 
versus RULE OF THUMB in politics. 

RUM (ROME, ROOKIE, or RAM), 
adj. (Old Cant). I. A generic 
appreciative ; good ; fine ; clever ; 
excellent ; strong, &c. : cf. sense 
2 and QUEER; RUMLY = bravely, 
cleverly, delicately. Thus RUM- 
BEAK (or -BECK) = a Justice of 
the Peace ; RUM-BING (or -BUNG) 
= a full purse ; RUM-BIT (or 
-BITE) = (i) a clever rogue, and 
(2) a smart trick ; RUM BLEATING- 
CHEAT = a fat wether ; RUM- 
BLOWEN (or -BLOWER) = a hand- 
some mistress ; RUM-BLUFFER = 
a jolly host ; RUM-BOB = (i) a 
young apprentice, (2) . a clever 
trick, and (3) a smart wig ; RUM- 
BOOZE (-BOUSE, -BUSE, -BUZE, Or 

BOUZE) = (i) wine, or (2) good 
liquor of divers kinds ; RUM- 
BOOZING-WELT = a bunch of 
grapes ; RUM-BUBBER = a good 
thief; RUM-BUFFER (or -BUGHER) 



= a valuable dog ; RUM-CHANT 
= a good song ; RUM-CHUB = 
(butchers') an ignorant buyer; 
RUM-CLANK = a gold or silver 
cup ; RUM-CLOUT (or WIPE) = 
a silk handkerchief; RUM -COD = 
(i) a full purse, and (2) a large 
sum of money ; RUM-COLE = new 
money ; RUM-COVE (or -CULL) = 
(i) a clever rogue, (2) a rich 
man, (3) a lover, and (4) an 
intimate : also RUM-CULL (theatri- 
cal) = a manager, or boss ; RUM- 
DEGEN (-TOL, Or -TILTER) = a 

splendid sword ; RUM - DELL 
(-DOXY or -MORT) = a handsome 
whore ; RUM-DIVER = a clever 
pickpocket ; RUM -DRAWERS = 
silk stockings ; RUM -DROPPER = 
a vintner; RUM-DUKE = (i) a 
handsome man, (2) a jolly com- 
panion, and (3) see quot. 1696 
and also sense 2 ; RUM- 
DUCHESS = a handsome woman ; 

RUM-DUBBER (or -FILE) = an 

expert picklock ; RUM-FAM (or 
FEM) = a diamond ring ; RUM- 
FUN = a clever fraud ; RUM-GELT 
(or -GILT) = new money ; RUM- 
GILL = (i) a clever thief, and (2) 
a handsome man ; RUM-GAGGER 
= a whining beggar ; RUM- 
GLYMMER = a chief link-boy ; 
RUM - GOING = fast trotting ; 
RUM-GUTLERS = canary ; RUM- 
HOPPER = an innkeeper ; RUM- 
KICKS = silver or gold-braided 
breeches ; RUM-KEN = a popular 
inn or brothel ; RUM-KIN = a 
large mug ; RUM-MAUNDER = a 
clever beggar ; RUM-MIZZLER = 
a thief expert at CLEARING (q.v. ) ; 
RUM-MORT = a lady ; RUM-ONE 
= a settling blow ; RUM-NAB = 
a good hat ; RUM - NANTZ = 
brandy ; RUM NED = a rich fool ; 
RUM-PAD = the highway ; RUM- 
PADDER = a highwayman; RUM- 
PEEPER = a silver looking-glass ; 
RUM-PECK = good food ; RUM- 



Rum. 



Rum. 



PRANCER = a fine horse ; RUM- 
QUIDDS = a large booty ; RUM- 
RUFFPECK = Westphalian ham ; 
RUM-SQUEEZE = fiddlers' drink 
in plenty ; RUM-SNITCH = a hard 
blow on the nose ; RUM-TOPPING 
= a rich head-dress ; RUM-VILLE 
= London. AWDELEY (1560) ; 
HARM AN (1567) ; ROWLANDS 
(1610) ; HEAD (1665) ; B. E. 
(^.1696) ; COLES (1724) ; BAILEY 
(1726); PARKER (1781); GROSE 
(1785) ; VAUX(i8i2); BEE(i823). 
1567. HARMAN, Caveat, 86. Byng 

We tO ROME-VYLE. 

1607. DEKKER, Jests to make you 
Merie m Wks. (GROSART), n. 308. A 
RUM COVES BUNG (so called in their canting 
vse of speech) (and as much as to say in 
ours, a rich chuffes purse). 

1610. ROWLANDS, Martin Mark- A II, 
'Toure Out Ben Morts.' For all the 
ROME COUES are budgd a beake. Ibid. 
The quire coves are budgd to the bowsing 
ken As ROMELY as a ball. 

1611. MIDDLETON and DEKKER, 
Roaring- Girl, v. i. So my bousy nab 
might skew ROME BOUSE. 

1612. DEKKER, O per se O, ' Bing 
Out, Bien Morts.' On chates to trine, by 
ROME-COUES dine for his long lib at last. 
Ibid. Bingd out bien morts, and toure, 
and toure, bing out of the ROME-VILE ; 
. . . And Jybe well lerkt, tick ROME- 

COMFECK. 

1641. BROME, Jovial Crew, ' Morts' 
Drinking Song.' This bowse is better 
than ROM-BOWSE. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, n. i. 
Note. Piot a common cant word used by 
French clowns and other tippling com- 
panions ; it signifies RUM-BOOZE as our 
gypsies call good-guzzle. 

1656. BLOUNT, Gloss., 538. RAM- 
BUZE. A compound drink at Cambridge, 
and is commonly made of eggs, ale, wine, 
and sugar ; but in summer, of milk, wine, 
sugar, and rose-water. 

1664. COTTON, Virgil Travestie (ist 
ed.), 108. With that she set it to her Nose, 
And off at once the RUMKIN goes. 

1665. HEAD, Eng. Rogue [RIBTON- 
TURNER, 621]. We straight took ourselves 
to the Boozing ken ; and having bubb'd 
RUMLY, we concluded an everlasting friend- 
ship. 



i688. SHADWELL, So. of Alsatia. ii. 
{Works (1720), iv. 47]. Belf. Sen. . . . 
Here's a nabb ! you never saw such a one 
in your life. Cheat. A RUM NABB : it is a 
beaver of 5. 

.1696. B. E., Diet. Cant. Crew, 
passim. Also, more particularly, s.v. 
RUM-DUKES, c. the boldest or stoutest 
Fellows (lately) amongst the Alsatians, 
Minters, Savoyards, &*c. Sent for to 
remove and guard the Goods of such 
Bankrupts as intended to take Sanctuary 
in those Places. Ibid., s.v. PECK. The 
Gentry Cove tipt us RUM PECK and rum 
Gutlers, till we were all Bowsy, and snapt 
all the Flickers. 

1 706. F ARQU H AR, Recruiting Office* , 
ii. 3. You are a justice of peace, and you 
are a king, and I am a duke, and a RUM 
DUKE, a'n't I ? 

1707. SHIRLEY, Triumph of Wit, 
'Rum-Mort's Praise of Her Faithless 
Maunder.' By the RUM-PAD maundeth 
none, . . . Like my clapper-dogeon. 

1724. HARPER, in Harlequin Shep- 
pard, 'Frisky Moll's Song.' I Frisky 
Moll, with my RUM COLL. 

1760. Old Song, 'Come All You 
Buffers Gay ' [ The Humourist, 2]. Come 
all you buffers gay, That RUMLY do pad 
the city. Ibid. If after a RUM CULL you 
pad. 

1781. PARKER, View of Society, n. 
174. RUM-MIZZLERS. Fellows who are 
clever in making their escape. Ibid. 
(^.1789), Cantata, 'The Sandman's Wed- 
ding.' For he's the kiddy RUM and queer. 

1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 76. The 
brandy and tea, rather thinnish, That 
knights of the RUMPAD so rurally sip. 
Ibid. Thus RUMLY floored. 

c. 1819. Song, ' The Young Prig ' [FAR- 
MER, Musa Pedestris (1896), 83. But my 
RUM-CHANTS ne'er fail, sirs ; The dubs- 
man's senses to engage. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, ii. iii. 
From a RUM KEN we bundled. 

1823. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, 
ii. 6. Now, your honours, here's the RUM 
PECK, here's the supper. 

1825. JONES, Old Song, ' The True 
Bottom'd Boxer' [Univ. Songst., ii. 96]. 
Spring's the boy for RUM GOING and coming 
it. Ibid. You'll find him a RUM-'UN, try 
on if you can. 



Rum. 



75 



Rumble. 



1830. MONCRIEFF, Heart of London, 
ii. i. We frisk so RUMMY. Ibid. We 
chaunt so RUMMY. Ibid., i. 2. Good 
night, my RUM-'UNS. Ibid., i. i. RUMMY 
Spitalfields wipes. 

1834. AINSWORTH, Rookwood (1864), 
180. RUM GILLS and Queer Gills, Patricos, 
Palliards, &c. Ibid., 60. With them the 
best RUMPADS of England are not to be 
named the same day ! Ibid. , 199. I want 
a little ready cash in RUMVILLE beg 
pardon, ma'am, London I mean. Ibid., 
190. I know you can throw off a RUM 
CHANT ... I heard you sing last night at 
the hall. 

1844. SELBY, London by Night, \. 2. 
What's in the wind, my RUM CULL. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Lond. Lab., i. 
341. Not one swell in a score would view 
it in any light than a REAM concern. 

1886. STEPHENS and YARDLEY, 

Little Jack Sheppard, 37. Farewell to 

Old England for ever, Farewell to my 
RUM CULLS as well. 

2. (common). In modern 
slang (by inversion) RUM = in- 
different ; bad ; questionable ; 
odd : as adj. RUMMY (or RUMLY). 
Whence (3) RUM = anybody or 
anything odd or singular in habit, 
appearance, c. ; RUM-NED = a 
silly fellow (B. E.); RUM DUKE 
= a half-witted churl (but see 
sense i) ; TO COME IT RUM = to 
act (or talk) strangely. 

1729. SWIFT, Grand Question De- 
bated. A rabble of tenants and rusty dull 
RUMS. 

1772. BRIDGES, Burlesque Homer, 
155. Well said, Ulysses, cries the king (A 
little touch'd tho' with the sting Of this 
RUM speech). 

17 [?]. Old Song {N. &> Q., 7 S., ix. 
97. Although a RUMMY codger, Now list 
to what I say. 

1781. PARKER, View of Society, i. 
48. ' Blow me up (says he) if I have had 
a fellow with such RUM TOGGYS cross my 
company these many a day.' 

1803. SHARPE [Correspondence (1888), 
i. 18]. They were angry with RUMS, they 
were troubl'd with bores. 

1812-15. NICHOLS, Lit. Anee. , v. 471. 
The books which booksellers call RUMS 
appear to be very nnmerous, ... yet 
they are not really so. 



1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, ' Jack 
Holmes s Song.' Some wonder, too, the 
tits that pull This RUM concern along, so 
full. 

1829. SOMERSET, Day After the 
Fair. Well, dang it ! though she's a RUM 
one to look at, she's a good one to go. 

1836. DICKENS, Pickwick, xvl 
" You're a RUM 'un to look at, you are," 
thought Mr. Weller. 

1840. BARHAM, Ingoldsby Legends 
(Hamilton Tighe). And the neighbours 
say, as they see him look sick, "What a 
RUM old covey, is Hairy-faced Dick ! " 

1877. BESANT and RICE, Son of 
Vulcan, ii. xxvii. How much? It's a 
RUMMY ramp but how much? 

1882. ANSTEY, Vice-Versa, xi. 
There's young Tom on the box ; don't his 
ears stick out RUMMILY ? 

1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms, i. What a RUM thing a man 
should laugh when he's only got twenty- 
nine days more to live. 

1892. KIPLING, Barrack Room 
Ballads, ' Route Marchin'.' There's that 
RUMMY silver grass. 

1899. WHITEING, John St., v. 
RUMMY lot dahn there. 

RUMBLE, subs, (colloquial). A 
seat for servants at the back of a 
carriage : also RUMBLE-TUMBLE 
(which likewise [GROSE and 
VAUX]) = a stage coach. See 
DICKEY and quot. 1830. 

1830. LYTTON, Paul Clifford, xxy. 
His favourite servant sat in the dickey in 
frpnt (RUMBLE-TUMBLES not being then in 
use). Ibid. (1858), What Will He Do, 
S*c., i. 15. From the dusty height of a 
RUMBLE-TUMBLE . . . Vance caught sight 
of Lionel and Sophy. 

1848. THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, xiv. 
A discontented female in a green veil and 
crimped curls on the RUMBLE. 

Verb. (old). To try ; to 
search ; to handle. 

1821. HAGGART, Life, 14. I was 
RUMBLING the cloys of the twigs. 

1 886-96. MARSHALL, Beautiful 
Dreamer [' Pomes,' 65]. I RUMBLED the 
tip as a matter of course. 



Rumbler. 



Rumford. 



1898. Pink 'Un and Pelican, 209. 
I soon RUMBLED he was in it when I heard 
Bull givin' him the ' me lord ' for it. 

RUMBLER, subs. (old). A hackney 
coach. Hence RUMBLER'S- 
FLUNKEY = (i) a footman and 
(2) a cab-runner ; RUNNING- 
RUMBLER = a carriage thief s 
confederate. 

c.\8i6. MAKER, Song, 'The Night 
Before Larry was Stretched.' The 
RUMBLER jugg'd off from his feet, And he 
died with his face to the city. 

c.i8ig. Old Song, 'The Young Prig' 
[FARMER, Musa Pedestris (1896), 82]. I 
first held horses in the street, But being 
found defaulter, Turned RUMBLER'S 
FLUNKEY for my meat. 

1823. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, 
ii. 4. A rattler ... is a RUMBLER, other- 
wise a jarvey, better known, perhaps, by 
the name of a rack. 

RUMBLING, subs. (Old Cant: now 
recognised). ' The rolling of 
Thunder, motion of a Wheel- 
barrow, or the noise in the Gutts.' 
B. E. (^.1696). 

RUM -BLOSSOM (or -BUD), subs, 
phr. (common). A nasal pirn pie : 
cf. GROG-BLOSSOM. 

1889. BUSH, Effects of Ardent 
Spirits. Redness and eruptions generally 
begin with the nose . . . they have been 
called RUM-BUDS, when they appear in the 
face. 

RUM BO, subs. i. Rum grog : also 

RUMBULLION and RUMBOWLING : 
cf. RUM-BOOZE (GROSE). 

1651. MS. Descrip. o) Barbadoes 
{.Academy, 5 Sep., 1885, 155]. The chief 
fudling they make in the island is RUM- 
BULLION, alias Kill-Divil, and this is made 
of sugar canes distilled. 

1751. SMOLLETT, Per. Pickle, ii. He 
and my good master . . . come hither 
every evening, and drink a couple of cans 
of RUMBO a-piece. Ibid. (1762), Sir L. 
Greaves, i. i. Three of the travellers . . . 
agreed to pass the time . . . over a bowl 

Of RUMBO. 

1821. SCOTT, Pirate, xxxix. Regal- 
ing themselves with a can of RUMBO. 



1885. D. News, 12 August, 5, 2. 
When sailors speak of their grog as RUM 
BOWLING the expression is really a survival 
of the old word [i.e., RUMBULLION, sup- 
posed to be the original name of " Rum," 
and of which the taller is a corruption]. 

2. (old). A prison : also 

RUMBO-KEN. 



3. (dockyard). Stolen 
(CLARK RUSSELL). 



rope 



Adi. (old). Good ; plenty. 

1870. HAZLEWOOD and WILLIAMS, 
Leave it to Me, i. Fifty pounds ! Oh, 
what a coal and tater shop I will have. 
... Is that RUMBO? (holds out his hand). 

1876. HINDLEV, Cheap Jack, 192. 
Mo exclaimed to his man, ' Chuck RUMBO 
(eat plenty), my lad.' 

1895. Pall Mall Gaz., 21 Dec., 8, i. 
But if the carts are all RUMBO, and the 
'orses was all RUMBO, and there was no 
tickets and no jumpers. 

RUMBO-KEN, subs. phr. (old). i. 
A pawnbroker's shop. 

2. (old). A prison : also 
RUMBO. 

1724. HARPER [Harlequin Sheppard, 
' Frisky Moll's Song ']. But filing of a 
RUMBO KEN, My Boman is snabbled again. 

RUMBOWLINE (or RAM BOWLINE), 

subs, (nautical). i. Condemned 
stores : rope, canvas, &c. ; 
whence (2) anything inferior or 
deteriorated : as adj. adul- 
terated. 

See RUMBO. 

RUMBUSTICATE, verb, (venery). 
To copulate : see GREENS and 
RIDE. 

RUMFORD. To RIDE TO ROMFORD, 
verb. phr. (old). To get new 
breeched. [GROSE : ' Rumford 
was formerly a famous place for 
leather breeches : a like saying is 
current of Bungay.'] Also see 
quot. 



Rum-gagger. 



77 



Rum-Johnny. 



1708-10. SWIFT, Pol. Conv., ii. One 
may RIDE TO RUMFORD upon this knife, it 
is so blunt. 



RUM-GAGGER, subs. phr. (nautical). 
*A sailor who begs' (CLARK 
RUSSELL). 

RUMGUMPTION, RUMBUMPTION, 

&c., subs, and adj. (common). 
A class of colloquialisms com- 
pounded with an intensive prefix : 
(i) RAM (imitatively varied by 
RUM) = very, strong ; and (2) 
RUM (q.v.) = good, fine, &c. : 
also cj. RAMP as in RAMPAGEOUS. 

Thus RAMBUNCTIOUS (or RAM- 
BUSTious) = noisy, ' high-and- 
mighty ' ; RAMBUSTION = a row ; 
RAMBUMPTIOUS = conceited, self- 
assertive (GROSE) ; RUMBUMP- 
TION = conceit, cock-sure-ness ; 
RUMGUMPTION = mother - wit ; 
RAMGUMPTIOUS = shrewd, bold, 
rash (GROSE) ; RAMFEEZLED = 
exhausted ; RAMBUSKIOUS = 
rough; RAMGUNSCHOCH = rough; 
RAMSHACKLE = ricketty, crazy. 
Substantives are similarly formed : 

e.g., RAMBUNCTION, RAMBUMP- 
TION, RAMGUMPTION, &C., whilst 

such variants as RUMMEL-FUMP- 

TION, RUMBLE-GUMPTION, RUM- 

STRUGENOUS, and the like are 
coined at will. Also RUMBUS- 
TICATOR = a man of means, and 
RAMSTAM = a headlong fool, and 
as adj. = deliberately or undi- 
lutedly silly. 

1768. Ross, Helenore, ' Beattie's 
Address." They need not try thy jokes to 
fathom, They want RUMGUMPTION. 

1778. FOOTE, Trip to Calais, \. The 
sea has been rather RUMBUSTIOUS, I own. 

^.1796. BURNS, To James Smith, The 
hairum-scairum, RAM-STAM boys. 

1817. SCOTT, Rob Roy, xxviii, If we 
gang RAM-STAM in on them [we'll get] a 
broken head to learn us better havings. 



1819. T. MOORE, Tom Crib's 
Memorial, 3. Has thought of a plan, 
which excuse his presumption He 
hereby submits to your Royal RUMGUMP- 

TION. 

1822. HOGG, Perils of Man, \. 78. 
Ye sud hae stayed at hame, an' wantit a 
wife till ye gathered mair RUMMEL- 

GUMPTION. 

1823. GALT, Entail, in. 70. Wattie 
is a lad of a methodical nature, and no a 
hurly-burly RAM-STAM. 

1823. LOCKHART, Reg. Dalton, i. 
199. This will learn you again ye young 

RAMSHACKLE. 

1844. SURTEES, Hillingdon Hall, v. 
21. The RUMBUSTICAL apologies for great 
coats that have inundated the town of late 
years. 

1847. PORTER, Big Bear, 120. He's 
as RAMSTUGENOUS an animal as a log-cabin 
loafer in the dog-days. 

1847. G. ELIOT [Life (1885), i. 168]. 
All those monstrous ROMBUSTICAL beasts 
with their horns. 

1847. THACKERAY, Cane-Bottom'a 
Chair, st. 5. And 'tis wonderful, surely, 
what music you get From the rickety, 
RAMSHACKLE, wheezy spinet. 

1850. SMEDLEY, Frank Fairlegh, 
ix. He boldly inquired whether ..." I 
had not been a-enhaling laughing gas, or 
any sich RUM-BUSTICAL wegitable ? " 

1853. LYTTON, My Novel, xi. xix. 
As for that white-whiskered alligator . . . 
let me get out of those RAMBUSTIOUS, un- 
christian, filbert-shaped claws of his. 

1860. DICKENS, Uncommercial 
Traveller, xviii. The RAMSHACKLE yet- 
turino carriage in which I was departing. 

1882. Atheneeum, i Ap. A RAM- 
SHACKLE wagon, rough men, and a rougher 
landscape. 

1883. CLEMENS, Life on Mississippi, 
xlviii. Strung along below the city, were 
a number of decayed, RAM-SHACKLY, 
superannuated old steamboats. 

RUM-HOLE, subs. phr. (American). 
A grog-shop : see LUSH-CRIB. 

RUM-HOMEE (or -OMER) OF 

THE CASE. See OMER. 

RUM-JOHNNY, subs. phr. (Anglo- 
Indian). i. A native wharf 
laborer. 



Rumkin. 



Rumpus. 



2. (naval and military). A 
prostitute : see TART. 

RUMKIN, subs. (old). i. A drink- 
ing vessel. 

1636. DAVENANT, TJte Wits, iv. 2. 
Wine ever flowing in large Saxon ROME- 
KINS About my board. 

2. (old). A tailless fowl. 
RUMLY (or ROMELY). See RUM. 

RUMMAGE, verb, (venery). To 
grope (or possess) a woman ; TO 

FIRKY-TOODLE (q.V.). 

RUMMY. See RUM. 

RUM-MILL, subs. phr. (American). 
A grog-shop ; a LUSH-CRIB 
(q.v.). 

RUMP, subs, (vulgar). I. The pos- 
teriors : see BUM. Hence as verb 
(i) to slight; (2) to FART AT 
(q.v.) ; (3) to SHIT ON (q.v.) ; (4) 
to flog (VAUX, 1812), and (5) 
(venery) to copulate ; whence 
LOOSE IN THE RUMP = wanton ; 
RUMP-SPLITTER = (i) ti\t penis : 
see PRICK ; and (2) a whore- 
master. Also subs. (2) = fag 
end : spec, (political) the remnant 
of the Long Parliament after 
Pride's Purge (1653) ; whence 
RUMPER = a Long Parliamen- 
tarian. Again RUMP (3) = a whore; 
RUMPER = a whoremaster; RUMP- 
WORK = copulation ; and verb. 

tO possess, tO FUCK-BUTTOCK. 

' He hath eaten the hen's RUMP ' 
(RAY), said of a person full of 
talk. 



about the stack, Robin laid me on my 
back, Robin he made my RUMP to crack. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, i. xi. 
Some of the women would give these 
names . . . my crimson chitterlmg, RUMP- 
SPLITTER, shove-devil. 



1660. PEPYS, Diary, 7 Mar. Sir 
Arthur appeared at the House ; what was 
done I know not, but there was all the 
RUMPERS almost come to the House to-day. 

1661. Old Song, 'There was three 
Birds' [FARMER, Merry Songs and Bal- 
lads (1807), i. 141]. There was three birds 
that built on a stump, The first and the 
second cry'd, have at her RUMP, The third 
he went merrily in and in. 

1662. The Rump [Title]. 

1708-10. SWIFT, Pol. Cpnv. t Int. 
The art of blasphemy or free-thinking . . . 
first brought in by the fanatic faction . . . 
and . . . carried to Whitehall by the con- 
verted RUMPERS. 

1711. DURFET, The Fart [Pills to 
Purge (1719), i. 28]. Gave a proof she 

Was LOOSE IN HER RUMP. 

1807. SOUTHEY, Letters, iv. 501. 
An old friend RUMPED him, and he winced 
under it. 

1814. COLEMAN, Poetical Vagaries, 
129 [2nd ed.]. He RUMPS us quite, and 
won't salute us. 

RUMP-AND-DOZEN, subs.phr. (old). 
An Irish wager : i.e., 'A rump 
of beef and a dozen of claret' 
(GROSE). 

RUMP-AND-KlDNEY MEN, subs, 
phr. (old).' Fidlers that Play 
at Feasts, Fairs, Weddings, &c., 
And Live chiefly on the Rem- 
nants, or Victuals' (B. E., 
GROSE). 

RUMP-AND-STUMP, phr. (collo- 
quial). Entirely ; completely. 

RUMPTY, subs. (Stock Exchange). 
The thirty-second part of a pound 
sterling ; a TOOTH (q.v.). 

RUMPUS, subs, (common). (i) A 
row ; a noise ; a disturbance : 
also as verb, and adj. (GROSE) ; 
(2)=a masquerade (VAUX, 1812). 

1763. FOOTE, Mayor of Garratt, ii. 
2. Oh Major 1 such a riot and RUMPUS ! 

1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 6. And, 
setting in case there should come such a 
RVMPUS. 



Rum-slim. 



79 



Run. 



1830. BUCKSTONE, Wreck Ashore, \. 
2. There never shall be no disgraceful 
RUMPUSSES, now I'm come into power. 

1850. STOWE, Uncle Tom's Cabin, 
xxiv. And Marie routed up Mammy 
nights, and RUM FUSSED and scolded. 

1876. ELIOT, Daniel Deronda, xii. 
She is a young lady with a will of her own, 
I fancy. Extremely well-fitted to make a 

RUMPUS. 

RUM-SLIM (or RUM-SLUM), subs. 
phr. (old). Punch. 

1789. GEO. PARKER, Life's Painter, 
162. Bobstick of RUM SLIM. That is, a 
shilling's worth of punch. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London^ I. 131. 
He was up to the RUM-SLUM. 

RUM-SUCKER, subs. phr. (Ameri- 
can). A toper; LUSHINGTON 



1858. New York Tribune, g July 
An acquired appetite as strong as that of a 

RUM-SUCKER. 



RUM TOM PAT, subs. phr. (old). 
A clergyman. 

1781. PARKER, Variegated Charac- 
ters. ' ' What, are Moll and you adamed ? " 
"Yes, we are, and by a RUM TOM PAT 
too." 

RUMTITUM, adj. (old). ' On prime 
twig, in fine order or condition : 
a flash term for a game bull ' 
(GROSE). 

RUM-UN. See RUM. 

RUN, subs, and verb. phrs. (collo- 
quial). Generic for freedom or 
continuance. Thus (subs. phrs. ), 
RUN (OF DICE, CARDS, or LUCK) 

= a spell or period of good or 
bad fortune ; RUN (of a play, 
book, fashion, &c.) = the course 
of representation, sale, popularity; 
THE RUN OF THINGS = the state 
of affairs ; THE RUN OF A 
PLACE = freedom of range ; THE 



RUN OF ONE'S TEETH (or KNIFE 
AND FORK ) = victuals for nothing; 
A RUN ON A BANK = a steady 
call, through panic, on its re- 
sources ; CATTLE-RUN = a farm 
where cattle roam at will ; A 

RUN TO TOWN (or INTO THE 

COUNTRY) = a trip ; TO HAVE 
(or LOSE) THE RUN = to lose 
sight of; TO GET (or HAVE) THE 
RUN ON = (i) to turn a joke on, 
and (2) to have the upper hand ; 
TO HAVE A RUN = (i) to take a 

Walk, a CONSTITUTIONAL (y.V.) ; 
(2) to get an opportunity : see 
P.P. ; and (3) to make a fight 
for anything ; TO RUN = to 
manage ; TO RUN A BLUFF = 
to carry things with a high 
hand ; TO RUN A BUCK (see 

BUCK) J TO RUN FOR OFFICE 

(PARLIAMENT, CONGRESS, &c.) 
= to start as a candidate ; TO 
RUN A RIG = to play a trick ; TO 

RUN A CHANCE (or RISK) = to 

take the odds; TO RUN A TILT 
AT = to attack ; TO RUN THE 
CUTTER = to smuggle ; TO RUN 
AN EYE OVER = (i) to glance at; 
TO RUN THE GAUNTLET (see 

GAUNTLET) ; TO RUN ACROSS = 
to meet casually ; TO RUN AFTER 
= to court ; TO RUN AGAINST = 
(i) to come in collision with, (2) 
to calumniate, (3) to attack, and 
(4) to meet casually ; TO RUN 
AMUCK (see AMUCK) ; TO RUN 
AWAY WITH = (i) to elope, (2) 
to steal; TO RUN AWAY WITH A 
NOTION = to be over credulous ; 

TO RUN BIG = to be OUt of 

training; TO RUN COUNTER =to 
oppose ; TO RUN DOWN = to 
pursue, depreciate, attack ; TO 
RUN DRY = to give out ; TO 
RUN FOUL OF = to attack or 
antagonise ; TO RUN HARD = 
(i) to threaten, endanger, make 
difficult, and (2) to equal or 
almost achieve; TO RUN HIGH 



Run. 



80 



Run. 



(i) to be violent, (2) to 
excel in a marked degree ; TO 
RUN IN = (i) to arrest, and (2) 
to introduce; TO RUN IN ONE'S 
HEAD = (i) to bear in mind, (2) 
to remember ; TO RUN INTO THE 
GROUND = to carry to excess ; 
TO RUN IT (American cadets') = 
to go beyond bounds ; TO RUN 
LIKE MAD = to go at the top of 
one's speed : Fr. ventre & terre ; 
TO RUN LOW = (i) to diminish, 
(2) to be of little account ; TO 
RUN MAD AFTER = to have a 
strong desire for ; TO RUN OFF = 

(1) to repeat, (2) to count ; TO 

RUN OFF WITH = (i) to elope, 

(2) to carry beyond bounds ; TO 

RUN OFF THE STRAIGHT (see 

STRAIGHT) ; TO RUN ON = to 
keep going : spec, to chatter ; TO 
RUN ON ALL FOURS (see FOURS) ; 

TO RUN ON PATTENS (see PAT- 
TENS) ; TO RUN ON THE HIRL 
= to gad, to LOAF (q.v.); TO 
RUN ONE'S FACE (or SHAPE) = to 
obtain credit ; TO RUN ONE'S 

HEAD INTO A NOOSE = to fall 

into a snare ; TO RUN ONE'S 
TAIL = to live by prostitution ; 
TO RUN ONE'S WEEK (Am. 
Univ.) = to trust to chance for 
success ; TO RUN ONE WAY AND 
LOOK ANOTHER = to play a 
double game ; TO RUN OUT = (i) 
to end, (2) to have had one's day, 

(3) to be lavish ; TO RUN OUT ON 
= to enlarge on ; TO RUN OVER 
= (i) to count, (2) to call to 
mind, (3) to examine, (4) to 
describe, and (5) to sum up ; TO 
RUN RIOT = (i) to be violent, 
(2) to exaggerate, (3) to have 
plenty, (4) to be active, (5) to 
disobey ; TO RUN RUSTY (see 
RUSTY) ; TO RUN SLY (see SLY) ; 
TO RUN SMOOTH = to be pros- 
perous ; TO RUN THIN = to back 
out of a bargain ; TO RUN TO = 
(i) to risk, (2) to suffice, (3) to 



afford ; TO RUN TOGETHER = to 
grow like ; TO RUN TO SEED = 

(1) to age, (2) to deteriorate ; TO 
RUN THROUGH = (i) to be uni- 
form, (2) to pervade, (3) to be 
present, (4) to kill, and (5) to be 
prodigal; TO RUN UP = (i) to 
increase, (2) to build, and (3) see 
RUNNER-UP ; TO RUN UP AN 
ACCOUNT = (i) to get credit, (2) 
get into debt, and (3) to charge ; 
TO RUN UP BILLS = to obtain 
goods with no intention of pay- 
ing ; TO RUN UPON = (i) to quiz, 

(2) to require ; TO RUN TO WASTE 
= (i) to empty, (2) to fritter 
away; TO RUN WILD = (i) to 
ROMP (q.v.), and (2) to riot; BY 
(or WITH) A RUN = suddenly ; 
A RUN FOR ONE'S MONEY = a 
good time in exchange for a 
certain expenditure of energy and 
cash; RUN OFF ONE'S LEGS = (i) 
exhausted, (2) bankrupt ; A NEAR 
RUN = (i) a close finish, (2) a 
bare escape, (3) cheek by jowl ; 
RUN AFTER = in repute ; RUN 
DOWN = seedy, poor. Also pro- 
verbs and sayings, ' To RUN 
through thick and thin ' ; ' His 
shoes are made of RUNNING 
leather ' ; ' To RUN a wild-goose 
chase ' ; ' The Coaches won't RUN 
over him' (?'.<?., ' He's in gaol') ; 
' He that RUNS may read ' (said 
of things unmistakeably plain) ; 
' To RUN where the devil drives ' ; 
* RUN tap, RUN tapster ' (RAY : 
' of a tapster that drinks so much 
himself and is so free to others 
that he is fain to run away ') ; 
' To hold with the hare and RUN 
with the hounds' (HEYWOOD, 
I 546). [Many of these collo- 
quialisms are found passim in 
English literature, and, though 
fitly mentioned in this place, do 
not require extended illustration. 
Therefore, only early or striking 
quotations are given.] 



Run. 



81 



Run. 



</.i4oo. CHAUCER, Rom. of Rose. 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng., \. 400. There 
are . . . RUN DOWN his fame, valour (in 
the new sense of worth) . . .]. 

.1500. DUNBAR [OLIPHANT, New 
Eng'i i- 363. Among the verbs are RUN 
DOWN a man, take thy choice . . .]. 

1577. HARRISON, Description, of 
England. [OLIPHANT, New Eng., i. 595. 
The verb RUN is applied in a new sense ; a 
range of hills RUNS in a certain direction.] 

1605. JONSON, Volpone, iii. 6. So of 
the rest till we have quite RUN THROUGH, 
And wearied all the fables of the gods. 
Ibid. (1601). Poetaster, ii. i. These 
courtiers RUN IN MY MIND still. 

1613. PURCHAS, Pilgrimage, 196. 
And because these praiers are very many, 
therefore they RUN them OUER. 

.1617. HOWELL, Letters, i. v. 7. Jack 
Stanford would have RUN AT him, but was 
kept off by Mr. Nicholas. 

1678. BUTLER, Hudibras, HI. 2, n. 
That first RUN all religion DOWN. 

1694. PENN, Rise and Prog, o, 
Quakers, v. Some . . . who, through 
prejudice or mistake, RAN AGAINST him. 

1705. FARQUHAR, Twin Rivals, 
Pref. One reason that the galleries were 
so thin during the RUN of this play. 

1709. STEELE, Tatler, 27. His 
desires RAN AWAY WITH him. 

1710-3. SWIFT, Stella [OLIPHANT, 
New Eng., ii. 150. A book has a RUN like 
the old course ; there is also a RUN of ill 
weather.] 

1711. Spectator, 262. I RUN OVER 
in my mind all the eminent persons in the 
nation. Ibid. (1712), 330. This creature, 
if not in any of their little cabals, is RUN 
DOWN _for the most censorious dangerous 
body in the world. Ibid. (1714), 592. 
Several of them lay it down as a maxim, 
that whatever dramatic performance has a 
LONG RUN, must of necessity be good for 
nothing ; as though the first precept in 
poetry were not to please. 

1726. POPE, Dunciad, i. 113. Now 
(shame to Fortune) an ILL RUN at play 
Blank'd his bold visage. 

1736. FIELDING, Pasquin, i. I read 
your comedy over last night ... if it 
RUNS as long as it deserves, you will 
engross the whole season to yourself. 

1748. SMOLLETT, Rod. Random, 
xlvii. I would not have you RUN your 
head precipitately INTO A NOOSE. 



. 1812. AUSTEN, Pride and Prejudice. 
1m. I will not spend my hours in RUN- 
KING AFTER my neighbours. 

1837. DICKENS, Pickwick, x. You 
have RUN OFF WITH this lady for the sake 
of her money. Ibid. (1843), Martin 
Chuzzlewit, xxx. 1 think of giving her a 
RUN in London for a change. Ibid. (1846), 
Cricket on Hearth, i. Busy . 
Caleb?' 'Pretty well, John . . . There's 
rather a RUN ON Noah's Arks at present.' 

1847. PORTER, Quarter Race, 23. I 
would not advise any man to try to RUN 
OVER me. 

1848. RUXTON, Far West, 103. 
From the RUN of the hills, there must be 
plenty of water. 

c.i 854. MACAULAY, Montgomery's 
Poems. The publications which have had 
a RUN during the last few years. 

c.i86o. Music Hall Song, 'Drink 
under the Licensing Act.' It maybe your 
fate, If not walking quite straight, By blue 
Guardians to be RUN IN. 

1 86 1. KINGSLEY, Ravenshoe, xxxvii. 
If any . . . burglar had [cracked] that 
particular crib . . . and got clear off with 
the swag he . . ._ might have been RUN 
... for Congress in a year or two. 

1861. Times, 23 July. Is there 
such a thing as a RUN in calamity? Mis- 
fortunes, they say, never come single. 

1864. LAURENCE, Guy Livingstone, 
xii. Livingstone headed the list, though 
Fallowfield RAN him HARD. 

1865. KINGSLEY, Hillyars &* Bur- 
tons, lix. He might have his RUN swept 
by fire . . . and be forced to hurry his 
sheep down to the boiling house. 

1866. ELIOT, Felix Holt, xx. There 
was a great RUN on Gottleb's bank in '16. 
Ibid., xxv. For a man who had long ago 
RUN THROUGH his own money, servitude 
in a great family was the best kind of 
retirement after that of a pensioner. 

1869. STOWE, Oldtown, 29. She had 
the in and out of the Sullivan house, and 
kind o' kept the RUN o' how things went 
and came into it. 

1877. North Am. Rev., July, 5. They 
assumed the functions of all offices, includ- 
ing the courts of justice, and in many 
places they even RUN the churches. 

1879. HOWELLS, Lady of the Aroo- 
stook, vii. " Every novelist RUNS a blonde 
heroine ; I wonder why." 

F 



Run. 



82 



Runner. 



1879. Auto, of Thief [Macm. Mag., 
xl. 506]. ' I got RUN IN, and was tried at 
Marylebone." 

1880. SIMS, Ballads of Babylon 
(forgotten). I made a success, and was 
lucky, the play RAN half a year. 

1883. Referee, 29 April, 7, 2. Ame- 
rican evangelists and speculators who RUN 
salvation on much the same lines as 
Barnum runs his menagerie. 

1883. D. Telegraph, 28 August, 5, i. 
It does not always follow that the silly 
backers get a RUN FOR THEIR MONEY. The 
horse . . . may be scratched a few hours 
before the race. Ibid. (1883), 4 Oct., 3, 2. 
What I should like is a nice pair of spec- 
tacles, and, as far as my money would 
RUN TO IT, everything else accordin', sir. 
Ibid. (1885), i July. Marchant being 
foolishly RUN OUT. Ibid. (1886), 8 Feb. 
Coming down to the ground WITH A RUN. 

1885. Money Market Review, 29 
Aug. We were unable to RUN the mill. 

1885. Echo, 8 Sep. The RUN upon 
the Bank of Ireland and the Provincial 
Bank was very severe. 

1886. PALMER, New and Old, 62. 
If I had had time to follow his fortunes, it 
was not possible to keep the RUN of him. 

1887. FRANCIS, Saddle and Moccasin. 
I RAN A BLUFF on 'em. They said they 
wasn't driving 'em anyhow, but they got 
started in the trail ahead of 'em, and it 
wasn't their business to turn 'em. 

1888. BRYCE, American Common- 
wealth, i. 84. It is often said of the Presi- 
dent that he is ruled or, as the Americans 
express it, RUN by his Secretary. 

1888. Sp. Life, 10 Dec. His oppo- 
nent eventually RAN OUT a winner by 319 
points. 

1889. MARRIOTT - WATSON, Aus- 
tralian Wilds, 135. Drummond, a young 
squatter in Otago, had succeeded to the 
management of the RUN on the death of 
his father. 

1889. Globe, ii Feb. Of late they 
have had a long RUN OF LUCK. 

1890. Pall Mall Gaz., 3 Mar., 5, 2. 
Mr. Depew asserts that he is RUNNING A 
RAILROAD and not a Presidential boom. 

1892. NISBET, Bushranger's Sweet- 
heart, 22. Sailors, as a rule, are not 
friends of bailiffs or Custom House 
officers, and thus appreciate RUNNING THE 
CUTTER, 



1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 14. 
Bald buffers seem fair IN THE RUN. Ibid., 
8. Cremorne's regular OUT OF THE RUN. 

1893. EMERSON, Signor Lippo, xiv. 
Alright, give me due beonck quatro soldi 
per RUN and I'll bring you the duckets. 

1895. IOTA, Comedy in Spasms, iv. 
It will give a fellow quite an added cachet 
... TO RUN so fine a woman as that, and 
pay off some old scores into the bargain. 

1899. WHITEING, John St., i. A 
coral island . . . RUN on principles of 
almost primitive Christianity. 

1900. WHITE, West End, 40. I 
always had an idea that the Guv'nor had 
some money, but I didn't imagine it would 
RUN TO this. Ibid., 157. 'Cricket tour, 1 
said he, indignantly. ' I must get fit first. 
I feel quite RUN DOWN.' 

RUNABOUT, subs, (old). A gad- 
about ; a vagabond. 

1607. MARSTON, What You Will, 
iii. i. A RUNNE-ABOUT, a skipping French- 
man. 

RUNAWAY PRESTON-PANS (THE 
GREAT), subs. phr. (military). 
The 1 3th Hussars. [A panic 
seized some of the men in the 
fight with the Jacobite rebels]. 
Also "The Green Dragoons"; 
" The Ragged Brigade " ; " The 
Evergreens," and "The Gera- 
niums." 



RUN-DOWN, subs. phr. (conjurors'). 
The bridge between stage and 
auditorum : Fr. practicable and 
font. 

RUN-GOODS, subs. phr. (venery). 
' A maidenhead, being a com- 
modity never entered.' GROSE. 

RUNNER, subs, (printers'). i. See 
quot. 

1892. JACOBI, Some Notes on Books 
and Printing, 47. RUNNERS, s.v. 
Figures or letters placed down the length 
of a page to indicate the particular num- 
ber or position of any given line. 



Runner. 



Running. 



2. (various). A tout : e.g. 
(Stock Exchange) = a broker's 
assistant with a private canvass- 
ing connection ; (racing) = a 
messenger stationed at a tele- 
graph office to get early informa- 
tion ; (old gaming) = see quot. 
1731 (BAILEY) ; (American) = 
(i) a steamboat and railroad tout : 
see TICKET-SCALPER; and (2) a 
commercial traveller. 

1731. St. James's Eyg. Post [SYD- 
NEY, Eng. in i8th Cent., i. 229]. List of 
officers attached to the most notorious 
gaming houses ... a RUNNER, who is to 
get intelligence of the justices' meetings, 
and when the constables are out. 

1828. SMEATON, Doings in London, 
1 Humours of the Fleet.' Now mean as 
once profuse, the stupid sot Sits by a 
RUNNER'S side and damns his lot. 

1869. Fraser's Mag-., 'British Mer- 
chant Seamen.' The "touter," whose 
business it is to attract the sailor to his 
master's lodgings by the judicious loan of 
money, the offer of grog or soft tack 
(bread) ; the RUNNER, who volunteers to 
carry his box of clothes and bedding free 
of charge to the same destination. 

3. (old). A police officer : also 
BOW-STREET RUNNER : in quot. 
1383 = a sheriffs officer. 

1383. CHAUCER, Canterbury Tales, 
1 Friar's Tale,' Prol. 19. A Sompnour is a 
RENNER up and down. 

c.i 820. T. HUDSON . . . They 
Straightway sent to Bow-street for the 
famous old RUNNER, Townsend. 

1825. SCOTT, St. Ronaris Well, iii. 
Constables, Bow-street RUNNERS, amd such 
like. 

1839. DICKENS, Oliver Twist, xxx 
' It's the RUNNERS,' cried Brittles . . 
1 The what ?'...' The Bow-street officers, 
sir.' 

4. (common). A wave: cf. 

ROLLER. 

5. (nautical). A smuggler. 
Also a crimp ; a single rope rove 
through a moveable block; and 



(formerly) a vessel sailing without 
a convoy in time of war. 
[CLARK RUSSELL]. 

.1730. NORTH, Lives oj the Norths, 
II. iii. The unfair traders and RUNNERS 
will undersell us. Ibid., Examen, 490. 
RUNNERS and trickers . . . that cover a 
contraband trade. 



RUNNER-UP, subs. phr. (common). 
I . In coursing the hound taking 
second prize, losing only the final 
course against the winner ; whence 
(2) any competitor running 
second or taking second place ; 
whence RUN-UP = the race from 
the slips to the first turn of the 
hare : see TO RUN UP. 

1884. Field, 6 Dec. The falling 
together of last year's winner and RUNNER- 
UP. 

RUNNING, subs, (racing). Pace; 
staying power. Whence, IN (or 

OUT) OF THE RUNNING = (i) in 

(or out) of competition ; (2) 
qualified (or not) ; (3) likely to 
win (or not) ; TO MAKE GOOD 

RUNNING = to do well ; TO MAKE 
GOOD ONE'S RUNNING = to do as 

well as one's rival ; TO MAKE 
THE RUNNING = to force the pace ; 
spec, (racing) to start a second- 
rate horse at a high speed with a 
view of giving a better chance to 
a * stayer ' belonging to the same 
owner ; TO TAKE UP THE RUN- 
NING = (i) to increase one's pace, 
(2) to take the lead or most active 
part. 

1858. TROLLOPS, Dr. Thorne, v. 
But silence was not dear to the heart of 
the honourable John, and so he TOOK UP 
THE RUNNING. Ibid. (1864). Small 
House at Allington, ii. The world had 
esteemed him when he first MADE GOOD 
HIS RUNNING with the Lady Fanny. 

1861. KINGSLEY, Ravenshoe, xxxvi. 
Ben Caunt was to MAKE THE RUNNING for 
Haphazard. 



Running-glasier. 84 



Rural. 



1889. Bird a' Freedom, 7 Aug., 3. 
Stewart MADE THE RUNNING so fast that I 
couldn't see the way he went. 

1892. Tit-Bits, 17 Sep., 423, 2. There 
is a striking variation in the periods at 
which women retire from the RUNNING, if 
we may be permitted to make use of a 
sporting phrase in speaking of such a sub- 
ject. 

Adj. (old). Hasty. 

1601. SHAKSPEARE, Henry VIII., 
i. 4. Had the Cardinal But half my lay 
thoughts in him, some of these Should find 
a RUNNING banquet ere they rested. Ibid. , 
v. 4, 69. There they are like to dance 
these three days ; besides the RUNNING 
banquet of two beadles that is to come. 

Prep. (old). Approaching ; 
going on for : cj. RISING. 

17!?]. Laird of Wariestoun [CHILD, 
Ballads, in. 112], I hae been your gud 
wife These nine years, RUNNING ten. 

RUNNING - GLASIER, subs. phr. 
(old). A thief: a sham glazier. 

RUNNING-HORSE, subs. phr. (old). 
A CLAP (q.v.}\ a gleet (GROSE). 

RUNNING - LEATHER. To HAVE 

SHOES OF RUNNING LEATHER, 

verb. phr. (common). To be 
given to rambling. 

RUNNING- (or FLYING) PATTERER 
(or STATIONER), subs. phr. (old). 
A hawker of ballads, dying- 
speeches, newspapers, and books : 
cf. PINNER-UP (B. E.,and GROSE). 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., i. 
228. The latter include the RUNNING 
PATTERERS, or death -hunters ; being men 
(no women) engaged in vending last dying 
speeches and confessions. 

1864. HOTTEN, Slang Diet., s.v. 
RUNNING STATIONER. Persons of this 
class formerly used to run, blowing a horn. 
Nowadays . . . these peripatetic newsmen 
bawl in quiet London thoroughfares, to the 
disturbance of the residents. 

RUNNING-RUMBLE. 6"^ RUMBLE R. 



RUNNING - SMOBBLE, subs. phr. 
(old). ' Snatching goods off a 
counter, and throwing them to an 
accomplice, who brushes off with 
them' (GROSE). 

RUNNING-SNAVEL, subs. phr. (old). 
A thief whose speciality is the 
KINCHIN - LAY (q.v.) : see 
SNAFFLE. 

RUNT, subs. (old). A term of con- 
tempt : specifically of an old 
woman. Whence RU NTY = surly ; 
boorish. Also a short, squat man 
or woman [cf. WELSH RUNTS = 
small cattle]. 

1614. FLETCHER, Wit without Money, 
v. 2. Before I buy a bargain of such 
RUNTS, I'll buy a college for bears, and 
live among 'em. 

1711. ADDISON, Spectator, No. 108. 
This overgrown RUNT has struck off his 
heels, lowered his foretop, and contracted 
his figure, that he might be looked upon 
as a member of this newly erected Society 
[The Short Club]. 

1721. CENTLIVRE, Artifice, iii. This 
city spoils all servants : I took a Welsh 
RUNT last spring. 

1 848. JONES, Sketches of Travel, 115. 
' No indeed,' ses another little RUNTY- 
lookin' feller we 've got enuff to do to 
take care of our own babys in these diggins. 

RUN-TO-SEED, phr. (colloquial). 
Pregnant ; in POD (q.v.). 

RUOF, adj. (back slang). Four. 

RURAL, subs, (old colloquial). A 
rustic. 

1604. MIDDLETON, Father Hubbard"s 
Tales. Amongst RURALS verse is scarcely 
found. 

1656. FORD, Sun's Darling; ii. 
Beckon the RURALS in ; the Country-gray 
Seldom ploughs treason. 

To DO A RURAL, verb. phr. 
(common). To ease oneself in 
the open : cf. TO PLUCK A ROSE. 



Rush. 



Rush. 



RUSH, subs, and verb, (common). 
Generic for violence. Whence 

(1) as subs, (old) = robbery 
wth violence : distinguished from 
a RAMP (g.v.), which might 
refer to the 'lifting' of a single 
article, whereas THE RUSH in- 
volves CLEANING OUT (q.V.) ; 
hence (2) any swindle ; and, as 
verb. to rob, to cheat, to extort 
(e.g., 'I RUSHED the old girl 
for a quid ') : also THE RUSH- 
DODGE, and TO GIVE ONE 
THE RUSH (PARKER, GROSE, 
VAUX). Into modern colloquial 
usage RUSH enters largely : as 
subs. = (i) extreme urgency of 
affairs ; (2) a great demand, a 
RUN (q.v.); (3) a stampede of 
horses or cattle ; (4) a mellay ; (5) 
in Amer. schools = (a) a gabbled 
or brilliant recitation, and (b) a 
very successful 'pass' ; (6) a for- 
ward's work at football : whence 
a SCRIMMAGE (q.v.). or play in 
which the ball is forced. As 
verb. = (i) to hurry, to force (or 
advance) a matter with undue 
haste ; (2) to go for an opponent 
blindly : chiefly pugilists' ; (3) 
to charge or attack wildly ; 
and (4) at football = (a) to force 
a ball, (b) to secure a goal by 
forcing. Also TO DO A RUSH 
(racing) = to back a SAFE-'UN 
(.#.), and (among bookmakers' 

touts) TO BET FLASH (q.V.), to 

induce business, TO BONNET 
(q.v.). Whence RUSHER = (i) a 
cheat, a thief (spec, a thief working 
a house insufficiently guarded) ; 

(2) a man of sensational energy, 
as a ranting divine, a bawling 
politician, a reckless punter, a 
wild-hitting pugilist; and (3) a 
forward good at running ball in 
hand or forcing the play (football). 

Also, TO ROAM ON THE RUSH 
(racing) = to swerve from the 
straight at the spurt for the finish; 



ON (or WITH) A RUSH = with 
spirit, energetically ; ON THE 
RUSH = on the run, hard at it ; 
TO RUSH THE SEASON = to antici- 
pate social and other functions ; 

TO DO A RUSH UP THE STRAIGHT 

(the FRILLS, or PETTICOATS) = 
to possess without further ado a 
yielding woman : see GROPE ; TO 
RUSH A BILL (parliamentary) = 
to put a bill through, (a) without 
debate, or (b) by closuring the 
Opposition. 

1595. SHAKSPEARE, Rom. and Juliet, 
iii. 3, 25. The kind prince, Taking thy 
part, hath RUSH'D aside the law. 

1825. JONES, True Bottom'd Boxer 
[Univ. Songst., ii. 96]. For taking and 
giving, for sparring and RUSHING it. Ibid. 
With chancery suiting, and sparring and 

RUSHING. 

i8[?]. Brunonian [BARTLETT]. A 
RUSH is a glib recitation, but to be a DEAD 
RUSH it must be flawless, polished, and 
sparkling like a Koh-i-noor. 

18 [?]. Yale Lit. Mag. [BARTLETT]. 
It was purchased by the man, who " really 
did not look " at the lesson on which he 

RUSHED. 

1871. DE VERB, Americanisms, 171. 
The miner in California and Nevada has 
been known, in times of a RUSH, to speak 
of a place where he could stand leaning 
against a stout post, as his diggings for the 
night. 

1872. Daily Telegraph, 9 Feb. The 
place was RUSHED an expressive word, 
which signifies that the diggers swarmed 
to the spot in such crowds as to render 
merely foolish any resistance which an 
owner might be inclined to make. Ibid. 
(1874), 4 Aug. A number of bills are 
RUSHED through Parliament. Ibid. (1883), 
22 May, 2, 3. The sore point of intrigue 
and bribery too well known by those 
familiar with the RUSHING of private bills 
through the American Senate as existing 
in that Assembly. 

1881. GRANT, Bush Lije. A con- 
fused whirl of dark forms swept before 
him, and the camp so full of life a minute 
ago is desolate. 1 1 was a RUSH, a stampede. 

1885. Punch, 24 Jan., 42- But, in 
affairs of empire, Have you been fogged 
or RUSHED ? 



Rush. 



86 



Rush-buckler. 



1887. PAYN, Glow Worm Tales, 123. 
That a fraud had been committed on us 
was certain, and a fraud of a very clumsy 
kind ... he had RUSHED us as the phrase 
goes. 

1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms, xxiii. I've known cases where a 
single bushranger was RUSHED by a couple 
of determined men. Ibid., xxiii. It's no 
use trying the RUSH DODGE with them. 

1888. BESANT, Fifty Years Ago, 
137. Peeresses . . . occupied every seat, 
and even RUSHED the reporters' gallery. 

1889. Illustrated Bits } 13 July, 3. 
A girl of sixteen who receives calls from 
admirers, is commonly considered to be 
RUSHING THE SEASON. She is precocious 
and the reverse of passee. 

1889. Lie. Viet. Gaz., 4 Jan. Ain't 
that the swine of a snob that RUSHED me 
at Battersea? 

1890. Nineteenth Century, xxvi. 854. 
There was a slight boom in the mining 
market, and a bit of a RUSH on American 
rails. 

1892. KIPLING, Barrack Room Bal- 
lads, ' Fuzzy Wuzzy.' A happy day with 

Fuzzy ON THE RUSH. 

1892. NISBET, Bushranger's Sweet- 
heart, 96. "Jim always meant business 
wherever he went," she said confidently, 
" and we should be sure to hear of that 
RUSH if he had taken it up." 

i8[?] N. A. Review [Century], 
Hazing, RUSHING, secret societies, society 
imitations and badges . . . are unknown 
at Oxford and Cambridge. 

i8[?] Set. American [Century]. 
In RUSHING, as well as in following or 
heading off . . . the front lines get the 
most shocks. 

1897. KENNARD, Girl in Brown 
Habit, x. She's a RUSHER, and just the 
animal to stick her forefeet into a drain 
like this, especially when she got excited. 

1901. D, Telegraph, 9 Nov., 7, 2. 
At the next lecture the Swami made a 
dead RUSH to get those present to join. 

7. (old). The lowest minimum 
of value : cf. STRAW, RAP, CENT, 
&c. [&!<quot. 1591.] 

1362. LANGLAND, Piers Plowman, 
2421. And yet yeve ye me nevere The 
worthe of a RISSHE. 



.1440. Generydes [E.E.T.S.], 1. 1680. 
Of all his payne he wold not sett a RISSH. 

.1540. Doctour Doubble Ale, 279. By 
them I set not a RVSH. 

1591. LYLY, Sappho and Phaon, ii. 
4. But bee not pinned alwayes on her 
sleeves ; strangers have greene RUSHES, 
when daily guests are not worth a RUSH. 

1593. SHAKSPEARE, Com. of Errors, 
iv. 3. A RUSH, a hair, a drop of blood, a 
pin, a nut, a cherry-stone. 

1719. DURFEY, Pills, iii. 9. But the 
fool for his labour deserves NOT A RUSH, 
For grafting a Thistle upon a Rose Bush. 

1767. STERNE, Tristam Shandy, ix. 
17. I would not, my e;ood people \ give 
a RUSH for your judgment. 

RUSH-RING. To MARRY WITH A 
RUSH-RING, verb. phr. (old). 
I. To marry in jest ; and (2) to 
feign marriage. See quot. 1776. 

1579. SPENSER, Shepheards Calen~ 
der, Nov., 114. Where bene . . . The 
knotted RUSH-RINGES, and gilt rosemaree. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, All's Well, ii. 

2, 22. As fit ... as Tib's RUSH for Tom's 
forefinger. 

c.i6io. FLETCHER, F. Shepherdess, i. 

3. Or gather RUSHES to make many a 
RING, For thy long finger. 

1668. DAVENANT, Rivals. I'll crown 
thee with a garland of straw then, And I'll 

MARRY thee WITH A RUSH-RING. 

1684. DURFEY, Winchester Wedding 
[Several New Songs], And Tommy was 
so to Katty, And WEDDED her WITH A 
RUSH-RING. . . . And thus of Fifty fair 
Maids . . . Scarce Five of the Fifty was 
left ye, That so did return again. 

1776. BRAND, Pop, Antiq,, ii. 38. 
A custom . . . appears anciently to have 
prevailed, both in England and in other 
countries, of marrying with a RUSH RING ; 
chiefly practised, however, by designing 
men, for the purposes of debauching their 
mistresses, who sometimes were so in- 
fatuated as to believe that this mock cere- 
mony was a real marriage. 

RUSH-BUCKLER, subs. phr. (old). 
A violent bully. 

1551. MORE, Utopia, ii. 4. Take 
into this number also their servants: I 
mean all that flock of stout bragging RUSH- 
BUCKLERS. 



Russia. 



Rustle. 



RUSSIA, subs, (thieves'). A pocket- 
book ; a READER (q.v.). 

1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, 
iii. 244. It was the swell's RUSSIA a 
RUSSIA, you know, is a pocket-book. 

RUSSIAN -LAW, subs. phr. (old 
colloquial). See quot. 

1641. JOHN DAY, Parliament of 
Sees, 65 (BULLEN). This three-pile-velvet 
rascall, widows decayer, The poore fryes 
beggerer and rich Bees betrayer, Let him 
have RUSSIAN LAW for all his sins. Die. 
What's that ? ImJ>. A 100 blowes on his 
bare shins. 

RUST, verb, (streets'). See quot. 

1884. Cornhill Mag'. , June, 620. So 
far as Slinger has any business, it is that 
of RUSTING, i.e., collecting on the 
chiffonier system old metal and disposing 
of it to the marine-store dealers . . . 
though RUST is the primary object of his 
explorations of rubbish heaps, all is fish 
that comes to his net. 

TO NAB THE RUST, verb. phr. 
(old). I. To take offence ; to 
get restive : cj. RUSTY. GROSE 
(1785). 

ENGLISH SYNONYMS. To chew 
oneself ; to comb one's hair ; to 
cut up rusty ; to get dandered (or 
one's dander up) ; huffed or huffy ; 
in a pelter ; in a scot ; in a wax ; 
one's mad up ; on the high ropes ; 
the needle ; the monkey up ; the 
monkey on one's back ; popped ; 
shirty ; the spur ; waxy ; to have 
one's bristles raised ; one's shirt 
or one's tail out; to lose one's 
vest ; to be miffed ; to pucker up ; 
to squall ; to stand on one's hind 
leg ; to throw up buckets. 

FRENCH SYNONYMS. Avoir 
mangg de foseille ; avoir son cran ; 
avoir son arnaud (also etre 
arnaud] ; en rester tout blett ; 
avoir son bcetif ; gober sa chevre ; 
entrer en tempete ; monter a 
Varbre or feschelle. 



SPANISH SYNONYMS. Amon- 
tanar ; atocinar ; barba ; desban- 
tizarse despampanar ; ember sen- 
charse ; escamonearse ; mosquear. 

2. (old). To receive punish- 
ment unexpectedly. 

3. (old). See quot. 

1858. A. MAYHEW, Pavedwith Gold, 
in. v. There's no chance of NABBING ANY 
RUST (taking any money). 

RUSTIC, subs, (old : now recog- 
nised). ' A clownish Country 
Fellow.' B. E. (^.1696). 

RUSTICATE, verb. (University). To 
banish by way of punishment; 
TO SEND DOWN (q.V.). Hence 
RUSTICATION (GROSE). 

1714. Spectator, 596. After this I 
was deeply in love with a milliner, and at 
last with my bedmaker, upon which I was 
sent away, or, in the university phrase, 
RUSTICATED for ever. 

1779. JOHNSON, Life of Milton, 12. 
It seems plain . . . that he had incurred 
RUSTICATION . . . with perhaps the loss 
of a term. 

1794. Gent. Mag-., 1085. And was 
very near RUSTICATION, merely for kicking 
up a row after a beakering party. 

1841. LEVER, Charles O'Malley, 
Ixxix. Cecil Cavendish . . . has been 
RUSTICATED for immersing four bricklayers 
in that green receptacle of stagnant water 
and duckweed yclept "the Haha." 

1843. THACKERAY, Fitz- Boodle's 
Confess. Then came demand for an 
apology ; refusal on my part ; appeal to 
the dean ; convocation ; and RUSTICATION 
of George Savage Fitz-Boodle. 

1853. BRADLEY, Verdant Green, iv. 
Our hero . . . missed the moral of the 
story and took the RUSTICATION for a kind 
forgiveness of injuries. 

1885. D. Telegraph, 29 Oct. Stu- 
dents who are liable at any moment to be 

RUSTICATED. 

RUSTLE, verb. (American). To 
bestir oneself; to grapple with 
circumstances ; to rise superior 
to the event. Whence RUSTLER 



Rusty. 



88 Rusty -fusty -dusty. 



= (i) an energetic resourceful 
man ; and (2) a rowdy, a 
desperado : spec. (Western States) 
a cattle-lifter. RUSTLING = 
active, energetic, SMART (q.v.). 

1872. S. L. CLEMENS, Innocents at 
Home, 20. Pard, he was a RUSTLER. 

1882. Century Mag., Aug., 508. 
I'll RUSTLE AROUND and pick up some- 
thing. Ibid. RUSTLE the things off that 
table. Ibid. To say that a man is a 
RUSTLER is the highest indorsement a 
Dakotan can give. It means that he is 
pushing, energetic, smart, and successful. 

1884. Century, xxxvii. 770. They're 
a thirsty crowd, an" it comes expinsive ; 
but they're worth it, fer they're RUSTLERS, 
ivery wan of thim. 

1887. MORLEY ROBERTS, Western 
Avernus. I tell you he was a RUSTLER 
... It means a worker, an energetic man, 
and no slouch can be a RUSTLER. 

1889. Cornhill, July, 62. I was out 
one day after antelope (I RUSTLED all my 
meat, except a ham now and then as a 
luxury), when I happened to come across 
a large patch of sunflowers. 

1889. Harper's Mag., Ixxi. 190. 
RUSTLE now, boys, RUSTLE ! for you have 
a long and hard day's work before you. 

1892. Scotsman, 7 May, ' RUSTLERS ' 
and ' Regulators.' The lawless element 
. . . not content with stealing cattle, 
openly defied the authorities. In Tune . . . 
an expedition started . . . and the result 
was that sixty-one thieves were hanged, 
after a pitched battle between the cattle 
men and the RUSTLERS. 

RUSTY, subs, (thieves'). An in- 
former. 

1840. LYTTON, Paul Clifford, xxxiv. 
He'll turn a RUSTY, and scrag one of his 
pals! 

Adj. (also RESTY) (colloquial). 
Ill-tempered ; sullen ; restive ; 
insolent ; or (GROSE) ' out of 
use ' : whence TO RIDE RUSTY or 
NAB THE RUST : see RUST ; and 
RUSTY-GUTS (B. E., GROSE) = a 

churl. 

1362. LANGLAND, Piers Plowman, 
3941. Robyn the ribaudour For hise RUSTY 
wordes. 



[?]. Coventry Myst. [Shakspeare 
Soc.], 47. RUSTYNES of synne is cawse of 
these wawys. 

.1625. Court and Times Chas. I. } I. 
36. In the meantime, there is much urging 
and spurring the parliament for supply 
and expedition, in both which they will 
prove somewhat RUSTY. 

1649. MILTON, Iconoclastes, xxiv. 
The master is too RUSTY or too rich to say 
his own prayers. 

1662. FULLER, Worthies, ii. 293. 
This Nation long restive and RUSTY in 
ease and quiet 

1706. WARD, Wooden World, 22. If 
he stand on his Punctilio's ... he is 
immediately proclaimed throughout the 
Fleet a REISTY Puppy. 

1772. BRIDGES, Burlesque Homer, 
74. They're not to blame for being crusty, 
'Twould make a Highlander RIDE RUSTY. 

^.1794. COLMAN, The Gentleman, No. 
5. His brown horse, Orator, took RUST, 
ran out of the course, and was distanced. 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xxviii. 
The people got RUSTY about it, and would 
not deal. Ibid. (1821), Pirate, xxxix. 
Even Dick Fletcher RIDES RUSTY on me 
now and then. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab. . . . 
If then she [a cat] TURNS RUSTY . . _. he'll 
[a monkey] . . . give her a nip with his 
teeth. 

1860. Punch, xxxix. 177. He don't 
care in whose teeth he RUNS RUSTY. 

1863. READE, Hard Cash, xlv. 
They watched the yard till dusk, when its 
proprietor RAN RUSTY and turned them 
out. 

1864. Eton School Days, xix. What 
is the good of turning RUSTY? with me, 
too. I haven't done anything. 

1866. ELIOT, Felix Holt, xi. Com- 
pany that's got no more orders to give, and 
wants to TURN up RUSTY to them that has, 
had better be making room for rilling it. 

1892. HENLEY and STEVENSON, 
Deacon Brodie, vii. 16. Confound it, 
Deacon, Not RUSTY. 

RUSTY- FUSTY- DUSTY, adj. and adv. 
(old colloquial). Begrimed ; 
malodorous and dirty. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works, ii. 24. Our 
cottage that for want of use was musty, 
And most extremely RUSTY-FUSTY-DUSTY. 



Rusty Buckles. 



Rye-buck. 



RUSTY BUCKLES (THE), subs. phr. 
military). The Second Dragoon 
Guards (Queen's Bays) : also 
"The Bays." 

RUTTISH, adj. (venery). Lecherous 
(GROSE) : also IN RUT and 
RUTTY. Hence RUTTING (or 
RUTTING -SPORT) = the deed of 
kind ; RUT, verb, (see quot. 
1679) ; and RUTTER (q.v.). 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, Alts Well, iv. 
3, 243. A foolish idle boy, but for all that 
very RUTTISH. 



in, And would be at the RUTTING-SPORT? 

1679. DRYDEN, Ovid's Metam. t x. 
What piety forbids the lusty ram, Or more 
salacious goat, TO RUT their dam ? 

To KEEP A RUT, verb. phr. 
(colloquial). To play the med- 
dler ; to make mischief. 



RUTAT (or R ATT AT), subs, (back 
slang). A potato ; a ' tatur.' 

RUTTER, subs, (venery). i. A man 
or woman IN RUT (q.v.) ; and (2) 
Elizabethan for the German reiter. 

1596. LODGE, Wit's Miserie. Some 
authors have compared it to a RUTTER'S 
codpiece. 

c. 1618. FLETCHER, Custom of 'Country ', 
Hi. 3. The RUTTER, too, is gone. Ibid, 
(c. 1620), The Woman's Prize, i. 4. Such 
a regiment of RUTTERS Never defied men 
braver. 

RY, subs. (Stock Exchange). A 
dishonest practice ; a sharp dodge. 

RYDER, subs, (common). A cloak. 
RYE. See ROMANY. 

RYE- BUCK, adv. (American). All 
right; O. K. (q.v.). 




Sa. 



90 



Sack. 




A, adj. (showmen's). 
Six. 

1893. EMERSON, 
Lippo, xx. Veil, when 
I got well I was hired 
out to a woman for SA 
soldi a day. 



SABBATH-DAY'S JOURNEY, subs, 
pkr. (colloquial). A short walk : 
also (ironically) an excuse for not 
stirring. 

SABE (SAVE, or SAVVY), subs. 
(American). Shrewdness; NOUS 
\q.v.}\ GUMPTION (q.v.). 

SABLE- MARIA. See BLACK MARIA. 
SABIN, subs. (old). A whimster. 

1637. HOLLAND, Camden, 542. 
Grimsby, which our SABINS, or conceited 
persons dreaming what they list . . . will 
have to be so called of one Grimes a 
merchant. 

SACCER, subs. (Harrow School). 
The sacrament : cf. SOCCER, 

RUGGER, BREKKER, COLLECKER, 
&C. 

SACHEVEREL, subs. (old). 'The 
iron door, or blower, to the 
mouth of a stove : from a divine 
of that name who made himself 
famous for blowing the coals of 
dissension in the latter end of the 
reign of Queen Ann ' (GROSE, 
HALLIWELL). 

SACK, subs. (Old Cant). A pocket. 
As verb to pocket ; TO DIVE 
INTO A SACK = to pick a pocket. 



B. E. (c. 1696) ; DYCHE (1748) ; 
GROSE (1785) ; VAUX (1812) ; 
EGAN (1823). Cf. DOODLESACK. 

1858. MAYHEW, Paved with Gold, 
in. iii. I've brought a couple of bene 
coves, with lots of the Queen's pictures 
[money] in their SACKS. 

PHRASES are : To GIVE (or GET) 
THE SACK (BAG, BILLET, BULLET, 
CANVAS, KICK-OUT, MITTEN, 
PIKE, or ROAD) = to give or get 
discharge : from employment, 
office, position, &c. : see BAG : 
also TO SACK and TO BESTOW 
(or GET) THE ORDER OF THE 

SACK ; TO BUY THE SACK = tO 

get drunk (GROSE) ; TO BREAK A 

BOTTLE IN AN EMPTY SACK = ' a 

bubble bet, a sack with a bottle 
in it not being an empty sack' 
(GROSE); MORE SACKS TO THE 
MILL ! = (i) Pile it on ! a call to 
increased exertion, and (2) plenty 
in store. 

1607. DEKKER and WEBSTER, West- 
ward Hoe, ii. i. There's other irons i' 
th' fire, MORE SACKS are coming TO THE 
MILL. 

1623. MIDDLETON and ROWLEY, 
Spanish Gypsy, iv. j. Soto. MORE SACKS 
TO THE MILL. San. More thieves to the 
sacks. 

1837. DICKENS, Pickwick Papers, 
xx. I wonder what old Fogg would say ? 
... I should GET THE SACK, I suppose. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingoldsby Legends, 
ii. 247. Don't . . . fancy, because a man's 
nous seems to lack, That whenever you 
please, you can GIVE HIM THE SACK. 

1864. YATES, Broken to Harness, 
xxi. If it rested with me, doctor, I'd give 
him unlimited leave, confer on him THE 

ORDER OF THE SACK. 



Sacrifice. 



Saddle. 



1867. All Year Round, 13 July, 55. 
When hands are being SACKED. 

1895. Standard, 18 Ap., i, i. Thus 
GIVING THE SACK arose from the^fact that 
masters or mistresses gave dismissed ser- 
vants a rough bag in which to pack up 
their belongings, in order to expedite their 
departure. 

1900. KIPLING, Stalky &> Co., 10. 
You must SACK your keeper. He's not fit 
to live in the same country with a God- 
fearing fox. 

SACRIFICE, subs. (Trade Cant). 
The surrender, or loss of profit : 
as verb = to sell regardless of cost. 

1844. DICKENS, Chimes, ii. It's 
patterns were last year's and going at a 

SACRIFICE. 

SAD, adj. and adv. (colloquial). 
Mischievous ; troublesome ; of 
little account ; merry ; fast : as A 
SAD DOG = (i) 'a wicked de- 
bauched fellow ' (GROSE), and (2) 
a playful reproach. 

1706. FARQUHAR, Recruiting Officer, 
iii. 2. Syl. . . . you are an ignorant, 
pretending, impudent coxcomb. Braz. 
Ay, ay, a SAD DOG. 

1713. SWIFT, Stella [OLIPHANT, New 
Eng., li. 150. The word SAD is much 
used ; a man is a SAD DOG ; sour grapes 
are SAD things]. 

1713. STEELE, Spectator, No. 448. 
Then does he begin to call himself the 
SADDEST fellow, in disappointing so many 
places. 

1726. VANBRUGH, Provoked Hus- 
band, iii. i. When a SAD wrong word is 
rising just to one's tongue's end, I give a 
great gulp, and swallow it. 

1748. SMOLLETT, Rod. Random, xvi 
I suppose you think me a SAD DOG . . . 
I ... confess that appearances are against 
me. 

1759. GOLDSMITH, Bee, No. 2. You 
have always been a SAD DOG you'll never 
come to good, you'll never be rich. 

1771. MACKENZIE, Man of Peeling, 
xiv. I have been told as how London is a 
SAD place. 

1836. DICKENS, Sketches by Boz, 141. 
Mr. Tones used to poke him in the ribs, 
and tell him he had been a SAD DOG in his 
time. 



SADDLE, subs, (venery). i. The 
female pudendum : see MONO- 
SYLLABLE : cf. RIDE. Hence, 
IN THE SADDLE = mounted. 

1611. CHAPMAN, May-day, iii. 2. 
Mine uncle Lorenzo's maid, Rose ... he 
will needs persuade me her old master 
keeps her for his own SADDLE. 

1621. BURTON, Anat. Melan., III. 
III. i. 2. The adulterer sleeping now was 
riding on his master's SADDLE. 

^.1704. BROWN, Works, ii. 312. 
Damme, if I car'd a rush who rode in 
my SADDLE. 

2. theatrical). See quot. 

1781. PARKER, View of ^Society, i. 
54. His conscience carried him to extort 
two guineas on each person's benefit by 
way of SADDLE (which among theatrical 
people is an additional charge upon the 
benefits). 

PHRASES. To PUT THE 

SADDLE ON THE RIGHT HORSE = 

(i) to blame (or praise) where 
justly due, and (2) to cast a 
burden where best borne; TO 

SUIT ONE AS A SADDLE SUITS A 

sow = to become ill ; to be 
incongruous : TO SADDLE A 
MARKET (Amer. Stock Exchange) 
= to foist a stock on the market ; 

TO SADDLE ONE WITH A THING 

= to impose a thing on, to con- 
strain to accept an unwelcome 
gift ; ' He has a SADDLE to fit 
every horse' = 'He has a salve 
(or remedy) for every sore (or mis- 
hap) ' J TO SADDLE THE SPIT = 
to give a dinner or supper 
(GROSE) ; TO SADDLE ONE'S NOSE 
= to wear spectacles (GROSE) ; 

TO SADDLE A PLACE (or PENSION) 
= ' to oblige the owner to pay a 
certain portion of his income to 
someone nominated by the donor ' 
(GROSE) ; SADDLE - LEATHER = 
the skin of the posteriors ; 
SADDLE-SICK = galled by riding 
(GROSE). 



Saddleback. 



92 



Sails. 



1607. DEKKER and WEBSTER, West- 
ward Ho, v. i. How say you, wenches? 
Have I SET THE SADDLE ON THE RIGHT 

HORSE ? 

c.i6i6. Court and T lines James /. 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng., ii. 70. We see 

SET THE SADDLE ON THE RIGHT HORSE 

1668. DRYD EN, A II for Love, Preface. 
A wiser part to SET THE SADDLE ON THE 

RIGHT HORSE. 

1708-10. SWIFT, Polite Conversation, 
ii. Ld. Smart. Why, he us'd to go very 
fine, when he was here in Town. Sir John. 
Ay; and IT BECAME HIM, AS A SADDLE 

BECOMES A SOW. 

1744. NORTH, Lord Guild ford, I. 314. 
His . . . lordship had done well to have 
shown . . . what was so added, and then 

THE SADDLE WOULD HAVE FALLEN ON 
THE RIGHT HORSE, 

1837. CARLYLE, Diamond Necklace, 
\. Roland . . . was SADDLE-SICK, calum- 
niated, constipated. 

SADDLEBACK, subs, (common). A 
louse : see CHATES. 

SADLY, adv. (colloquial). In- 
different in health. 

1866. ELIOT, Felix Holt, xxvu. Mr. 
Holt, miss, wants to know if you'll give 
him leave to come in. I told him you was 

SADLY. 

SAFE, adj. (occasionally colloquial). 
Trustworthy ; certain : e.g.> 
' So-and-so's SAFE enough' = ' He 
is certain to meet his engage- 
ments' ; SAFE to be hanged = sure 
of the gallows ; SAFE AS HOUSES 
(THE BELLOWS, COONS, THE 
BANK ANYTHING) = perfectly 
sure ; A SAFE-CARD = a wide- 
awake fellow ; A SAFE-UN = a 
horse not meant to run, nor, 
if he runs, to win ; also STIFF- 

'UN (?.V.), DEAD-'UN (q.V.), or 
STUMER (q.v.): with such an 
entry a bookmaker can SAFELY 
operate. 

1624. MIDDLETON, Game at Chess, 
ii. i. To sell away all the powder in a 
kingdom To prevent blowing up : that's 

SAFE. 



1851. MAYHEW, London Lab., ii. 
154. If you was caught up and brought 
afore the Lord Mayor, he'd give you 
fourteen days on it, as SAFE AS THE 

BELLOWS. 

1854. WHYTE- MELVILLE, General 
Bounce, xiii. But here we are at Tatter- 
sail's ; ... so now for good information, 
long odds, a SAFE man, and a shot at the 
favourite 1 

1864. Derby-day, 51. We're all 
ruined AS SAFE AS COONS. 

1864. YATES, Broken to Harness, x. 
I shall be county-courted, AS SAFE AS 
HOUSES. Ibid. (1866), Land at Last, I. 
173. One or two more of the same sort 
are SAFE to make him an associate. 

1867. London Herald, 23 Mar., 221, 
3. We're SAFE to nab him ; SAFE AS 
HOUSES. 

1871. " HAWK'S-EYE," Turf Notes, 
ii. Most assuredly it is the bookmakers 
that profit by the SAFE UNS, or " stiff uns," 
as, in their own language, horses that have 
no chance of winning are called. 

1890. ALLEN, Tents ofShem, xxviii. 
You may make your forgery itself as SAFE 
AS HOUSES. 

1894. MOORE, Esther Waters, xxx. 
I overlaid my book against Wheatear ; I'd 
heard that she was AS SAFE AS 'OUSES. 

SAILS, subs, (naval). A sailmaker. 

1835. DANA, Two Years Before 
Mast, xxviii. Poor ' Chips ' could eat no 
supper . . . SAILS tried to comfort him, 
and told him he was a bloody fool. 

PHRASES. To SAIL IN = to 
put in an appearance, or take 
part in a matter ; TO TAKE THE 
WIND OUT OF ONE'S SAILS = to 
run foul of, to spoil sport ; TO 

SAIL NEAR (CLOSE TO, Or TOO 
NEAR THE WIND) = (i) to run 

risks, (2) to act with caution, (3) 
to live closely to one's income, 
and (4) to verge upon obscenity ; 
' How YOU SAIL ABOUT' (B. E.) 
= How you saunter about.' 

1860. THACKERAY, Lovel the 
Widower. Lady B. SAILED IN ... many 
brooches, bangles, and other gimcracks 
ornamenting her plenteous person. 



Sailors-blessing. 93 



Saint. 



1888. Harp. Mag., Ixxviii. 561. A 
man must dismiss all thoughts of ... 
common-sense when it comes to masquerade 
dresses, and just SAIL IN and make an 
unmitigated fool of himself. 

1891. M. Advertiser,, 30 Mar. John 
Harvey called William Tillman a liar 150 
times, . . . and offered to lick him 104 
times. At the 1 04 th William. . .thrashed 
John. The verdict of the jury was that 
William ought to have SAILED IN an hour 
and a half earlier. 

SAILOR'S - BLESSING, subs. pkr. 
(nautical). A curse. 

SAILOR'S- PLEASURE, subs. phr. 
(nautical). 'Yarning, smoking, 
dancing, growling, &c.' (CLARK 
RUSSELL). 

SAILOR'S-WAITER, subs. phr. (nau- 
tical). See quot. 

1835. DANA, Two Years, &*c., iii. 
The second mate ... is neither officer 
nor man . . . The crew call him the 
SAILOR'S-WAITER, as he has to furnish 
them with spun yarn, marline, and all 
other stuffs that they need in their work . . . 

SAINT, subs. (old). 'A piece of 
spoiled timber in a coachmaker's 
shop, like a saint, devoted to the 
flames ' (GROSE). 

PHRASES and DERIVATIVES. 
ST. ANTHONY'S PIGS {see quot. 
1662) ; ST. GEOFFREY'S DAY = 
never (GROSE) : see QUEEN 
DICK ; ST. GILES'S BREED = 
'Fat, ragged, and saucy' (GROSE) ; 
ST. GILES'S GREEK = Cant, 
SLANG (?..), PEDDLER'S FRENCH 
(GROSE) ; ST. LAWRENCE'S 
TEARS (see quot. 1874) ; ST. 
LUBBOCK'S DAY = a bank-holi- 
day; ST. LUKE'S BIRD = an ox 
(GROSE) ; ST. MARGET'S ALE 
= water : see ADAM'S ALE ; 
ST. MARTIN'S EVIL = drunken- 
ness ; ST. MARTIN'S RING = a 
copper-gilt ring ; ST. MARTIN'S 
LACE = imitation gold lace, stage 



tinsel : tttf quot. 1607 (DEKKER) ; 
ST. MONDAY = ' a holiday taken 
on Monday to recover from the 
effects of the Sunday's rest* 
(GROSE) : whence MONDAYISH 
= lazy : see COBBLER'S SUNDAY 
and SHOEMAKER'S HOLIDAY ; 
ST. NICHOLAS (see NICHOLAS) ; 
ST. PATRICK (or ST. PATRICK'S 
WELL) = the best whiskey ; ST. 
JOHN TO BORROW (see BORROW) ; 

TO DINE WITH ST. ANTHONY (cf. 

DUKE HUMPHREY) ; RIDING ST. 
GEORGE = ' the woman upper- 
most in the amorous congress, 
that is the dragon on St. George ' 
(GROSE): whence ST. GEORGE 
A -HORSE -BACK = the act of 
kind (see quot. 1617) ; THE 
'SPITAL STANDS TOO NIGH ST. 
THOMAS A' WATERINGS = 
'Widows who shed most tears 
are sometimes guilty of such 
indiscretions as render them 
proper subjects for the public 
hospitals' (HAZLITT); SAINT OF 
THE SAUCEPAN = an expert cook. 

1600. MUNDAY and DRAYTON, Old- 
castle, iv. 4. If ye burn, by this flesh I'll 
make you drink their ashes in SAINT 
MARGET'S ALE. 



Antiq., II. 27, note]. I doubt whether all 
be gold that glistereth, sith SAINT 
MARTIN'S RINGS be but copper within, 
though they be gilt without. 

1607. Puritan, i. i. Here's a 
puling . . . my mother weeps for all the 
women that ever buried husbands . . . 
Alas ! a small matter lucks a handker- 
chief! and sometimes THE 'PITAL STANDS 
TOO NIGH SAINT THOMAS A' WATERINGS. 

1607. DEKKER, Westward Ho, ii. i. 
You must to the Pawn to buy lawn ; to 
SAINT MARTIN'S for LACE. 

.1617. FLETCHER, Mad Lover, i. i. 
How our SAINT GEORGES will BESTRIDE 
THE DRAGONS, The red and ramping 
dragons. 

1632. MASSINGER, Fatal Dowry, iii. 
i. Chmral. You did not see him on my 
couch within, Like GEORGE A-HORSEBACK, 
on her, nor a-bed 1 



Sake. 



94 



Sale. 



1648. A Brown Dozen of Drunkards 
... By one that hath drunk at ST. 
PATRICK'S WELL [Title]. 

1662. FULLER, Worthies (London), 
i. 65. Nicholas Heath . . . noted for one 
of SAINT ANTHONIE'S PIGS therein (so 
were the Scholars of that school [City of 
London] commonly called, as those of St. 
Paul, Pants Pigeons'). 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 42. That SAINT OF THE SAUCE- 
PAN . . . leaving him ... to ... his 
usual nap after dinner, we took away, and 
demolished the remainder with appetites 
worthy of our master. Ibid., Gil Bias 
(1812), ii. viii. Comedians ... do not 
travel a-foot, and DINE WITH ST. 
ANTHONY. 

1791. LACKINGTON, Letter, iii. [Life, 
1803], While he was keeping SAINT 
MONDAY, I was with boys of my own age, 
fighting, cudgel-playing, wrestling, &c. 

1823. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, 
5. Flash, my young friend, or slang, as 
others call it, is the classical language of 
the Holy Land ; in other words, ST. 
GILES'S GREEK. 

^1874. Eng. Mechanic [DAVIES]. The 
familiar shower of shooting stars [gth to 
nth Aug.] known of old as ST. LAU- 
RENCE'S TEARS, but now termed rather 
more scientifically the Perseides, from 
the point in the heavens whence they 
appear to radiate. 

1882. RIDDELL, Weird Stories, The 
Open Door. We were always counting 
the weeks to next ST. LUBBOCK'S DAY. 

1884. D. News, f 22 July, 5, 3. It 
was evident that universal homage was 
being paid to SAINT MONDAY. Working 
London proclaimed a general holiday. 

1902. Pall Mall Gazette, 26 July, 
3, i. It [Coronation day] will be the most 
memorable Bank Holiday that has yet 
figured in the annals of ST. John LUBBOCK. 

SAKE. FOR SAKE'S SAKE (ANY 
SAKE, GOODNESS SAKE, &C.),/^. 
(colloquial). A strong appeal. 
FOR OLD SAKE'S SAKE = for 
'auld lang syne.' 

1670. HOWARD, Committee, iii. Run 
after him, and save the poor fellow FOR 
SAKE'S SAKE. 

1857. HUGHES, Tom Broivn's School- 
days, i. iii. Us be cum to pay 'e a visit 
. . . FOR OLD SAKE'S SAKE. 



1863. KINGSLEY, Water Babies. Yet 
FOR OLD SAKE'S SAKE she is still, dears, 
The prettiest doll in the world. 

SAL, subs, (old colloquial). i. 
Salivation ; IN A HIGH SAL = 
'in the pickling tub' (GROSE). 

2. (theatrical). Salary. 

1885. Household Words, 29 August, 
350. I say that part of this money shall 
be shared among us as SALS, and some of 
the remainder shall be used for mounting 
the guv'nor's panto. 

SALAD, subs, (nautical). i. See 
quot. 

1877. Notes &* Queries, 5 S., viii. 
269. When an officer on board ship is 
wakened and fails to obey the snmmons, 
but has another nap, it is called TAKING A 
SALAD. 

2. (colloquial). A lettuce. 

SALAD-DAYS (or STAGE), subs. phr. 
(colloquial). The days of youth- 
ful simplicity ; inexperience. 

1608. SHAKSPEARE, Ant. andCleop., 
i. 5, 73. My SALAD DAYS, When I was 
green in judgement. 

1892. ANSTEY, Voces Populi, ' At a 
Parisian Cafe Chantant,' 85. The diners 
in the gallery at the back have passed THE 

SALAD STAGE. 

1893. Chambers' s Jour., 25 Feb., 
125. Having in his SALAD DAYS made 
trial of a cheap cigar, the result somehow 
satisfied him that tobacco was not in his 
line. 

SALAMANDER, subs, (colloquial). 
I. Anything fire-proof, and (2) a 
fire-eating juggler (circus). 

1886. BESANT, Children of Gideon, 
i. vi. We ain't a show. Lotty ain't a 
clown; I ain't ajumping-howe ; Liz ain't 
a SALAMANDER. 

SALE. HOUSE OF SALE, subs. phr. 
(old). See quot. and NANNY- 
HOUSE. 

1596. SHAKSPEARE, Hamlet, ii. i, 60. 
I saw him enter such a HOUSE OF SALE, 
Videlicet, a brothel. 

See WASH-SALE. 



Salesman* s-dog. 95 



Salt. 



SALESMAN'S-DOG, subs. phr. (old). 
A shop tout ; a BARKER (q.v.). 
GROSE. 

SALISBURY, subs, (political : obso- 
lete). See quots. 

1890. Standard, 3 Mar., 3, 4 [Mr. 
Labouchere loquitur]. Some time ago 
they invented a word for the Marquess's 
statements. They said, "When you are 
telling a lie and want to tell it civilly, say 
you are telling a SALISBURY." 

1890. PaH Mall Gaz., i Mar., 5, T. 
Lord Salisbury's evasion, which past ex- 
perience, even without the facts, suggested 
was a SALISBURY. Ibid., 6, i. The 
famous SALISBURY about the Secret-Treaty 
. . . must henceforth be read " cumgrano 
ja/z'j-bury." 

SALLY. See AUNT SALLY. 

SALLY-PORT, subs. phr. (venery). 
The female pudendum : see MO- 
NOSYLLABLE. 

1656. FLETCHER, Martiall. Torches 
can Best enter at the SALLI-PORT of man. 

SALLINGER'S- (or SALLENGER'S 
i.e., ST. LEGER'S) ROUND. To 
DANCE SALLINGER'S - ROUND, 
verb. phr. (old). To wanton ; to 
copulate : cf. THE TUNE OF THE 

SHAKING OF THE SHEET. [SAL- 

LENGER'S ROUND = a loose ballad 
and tune, tempus Elizabeth.] 

1698. London Spy [NARES]. It will 
restore an old man of threescore, to the 
juvenallity of thirty, or make a girle at 
fourteen, with drinking but one glass, as 
ripe as an old maid of four and twenty. 
'Twill make a parson DANCE SALLINGER'S- 
ROUND, a puritan lust after the flesh. 

SALMAGUNDY(or SALMON-GUNDY), 

subs. (old). i. Seeqnot. Hence 
(2) = a cook. 

1748. SMOLLETT, Rod. Random, 
xxvi. Ordering the boy to bring a piece 
of salt beef from the brine, cut off a slice, 
and mixed it with an equal quantity of 
onions, which seasoning with a moderate 
proportion of pepper and salt he brought 



it into a consistence with oil and vinegar. 
Then tasting the dish, assured us, it was 
the best SALMAGUNDY that he had ever 
made. 

SALMON (or SALOMON), subs. (Old 
Cant). The mass ; ' the Beggers 
Sacrament or Oath.' [SMYTH- 
PALMER, Folk Etymology : 'prob- 
ably a corruption of Fr. serment ' ; 
OLIPHANT, New Eng., i. 384, 
'Henry VIII., when surprised, 
cries by the mass (ELLIS, Letters, 
III. i. 196, 1513-25) ; this was to 
become a common oath all 
through the country.'] (HARMAN, 
DEKKER, ROWLANDS, HEAD, 
B. E., BAILEY, GROSE, EGAN, 
BEE.) 

.1536. COPLAND, Spyttel-hous [HAZ- 
LITT, Pop. Poet., iv.]. By SALMON, and 
thou shall pek my jere. 

1611. MIDDLETON, Roaring Girl, v. 
i. I have, by the SALOMON, a doxy that 
carries a kinchin-mort in her slate at her 
back. 

1614. OVERBURY, Characters, 'A 
Canting Rogue. ' He will not beg out of 
his limit though hee starve ; nor break his 
oath if hee sware by his SALOMAN . . . 
though you hang him. 

1622. FLETCHER, Beggar's Bush, 
c Maunder's Initiation." I ... stall thee 
by the SALMON into clowes. 

1641. BROME, Jovial Crew, ii. By 
SALAMON, I think my mort is in drink. 

1707. SHIRLEY, Triumph of Wit, 
1 Maunder's Praise of His Strowling Mort. 1 
Doxy, oh ! thy glaziers shine As glimmar ; 
by the SALOMON ! 

1749. MOORE-CAREW, Oath of Cant' 
ing Crew. And as I keep to the foregone, 
So may help me SALAMON ! 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xxxiv. 
She swore by the SALMON. 

SALMON-AND-TROUT, subs. phr. 
(rhyming). The mouth : see 
POTATO-TRAP. 

SALT, subs, (common). i. A 
sailor : esp. an old hand : also 

SALT-WATER. 



Salt. 



96 



Salt. 



1835. DANA, Two Years ; i. My 
complexion and hands were enough to 
distinguish me from the regular SALT. 

1839. AINSWORTH, Jack Sheppard, 
vi. And why not, old SALTWATER? in- 
quired Ben, turning a quid in his mouth. 

1844. SELBV, London By Night, i. 
i. I am too old a SALT to allow myself to 
drift on the quicksand of woman's perfidy. 

1861. HUGHES, Tom Brown at 
Oxford, viii. He can turn his .hand to 
anything, like most old SALTS. 

1884. RUSSELL, Jack's Courtship, 
xxiii. The crew in oilskins, the older 
SALTS among them casting their eyes to 
windward at the stormy look of the 
driving sky. 

1885. D. Telegraph, n Sept. An 
old SALT sitting at the tiller. 

2. (common). Money : speci- 
fically (Eton College) the gra- 
tuity exacted at the now obsolete 
triennial festival of the MONTEM 
(q.v. ). Also (generic) = a measure 
of value. 

1886. BREWER, Phrase and Fable, 
s.v. SALTHILL. At the Eton Montem the 
captain of the school used to collect money 
from the visitors on Montem day. Stand- 
ing on a mound at Slough, he waved a 
flag, and persons appointed for the purpose 
collected the donations. The mound is 
still called SALT-HILL, and the money 
given was called SALT . . . similar to the 
Lat. salarium (salary) the pay given to 
Roman soldiers and civil officers. 

1890. Speaker, 22 Feb., 210, 2. In 
lively, but worldly fashion we go to Eton, 
with its buried Montem, its "SALT! your 
majesty, SALT ! " its gin-twirley, and its 
jumping through paper fires in Long 
Chamber. 

3. (old). Pointed language ; 
wit : whence SALT-PITS (old 
Univ.) = 'The store of attic wit' 
(GROSE). 

1580. BARET, Alvearie, s.v. SALT, a 
pleasaunt and merrie word that maketh 
folks to laugh, and sometime pricketh. 

1635. QUARLES, Emblems [NARES]. 
Tempt not your SALT beyond her power. 

1639. MAYNK, Citye Match, 15, She 
speaks with SALT. 



Adj. (old). I. Wanton; 
amorous; PROUD (q.v.). Also, 
as subs. = (i) HEAT (y.v.), and 
(2) = the act of kind ; as verb = 
to copulate (B. E., GROSE). 
Whence SALT-CELLAR = the fe- 
male pudendum : see MONO- 
SYLLABLE ; and SALT- WATER = 
urine. 

1598. FLORID, Worlde of Wordes, 
s.v. Esser in frega, to be proud or SALT 
as a bitch, or a catterwalling as cats. 

1599. JONSON, Ev, Man Out of His 
Humour, iv. 4. Let me perish, but them 
art a SALT one. Ibid. (1605), Fox, ii. i. 
It is no SALT desire Of seeing countries 
. . . hath brought me out. 

1599. HALL, Satires, iv. i. He lies 
wallowing . . . on his brothel -bed Till his 
SALT bowels boile with poisonous fire. 

1602. SHAKSPEARE, Othello, ii. i, 
244. For the better compassing of his 
SALT and most hidden loose affection. 
Ibid. (1608), Antony and Cleopatra, ii. i. 
All the charms of love, SALT Cleopatra, 
soften thy wan lip. 

1607. TOPSELL, Beasts, 139. Then 
they grow SALT, and begin to be proud. 

1647-8. HERRICK, Parting Verse 
\_Hesperides, 186]. The expressions of that 
itch And SALT which frets thy suters. 

^.1704. BROWN, Works, ii. 202. It is 
not fit the silent beard should know how 
much it has been abus'd . . . for, if it did 
it would . . . make it open its sluice to 
the drowning of the low countries in an 
inundation of SALT-WATER. 

2. (colloquial). Costly; heavy; 
extravagant : generic for excess : 
e.g., AS SALT AS FIRE = as salt 
as may be. Also SALTY. 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life, 142. 
Well, that thar was a SALTY scrape, boys. 

1887. Fun, 21 Sept., 126. A magis- 
trate who was lately fined 2os. for striking 
a man in the street, seemed somewhat 
astonished on hearing the decision, and 
remarked, "It's rather SALT." 

Verb, (common). To swindle : 
specifically to cheat by fictitiously 
enhancing value; e.g., to SALT 
books = (i) to make bogus entries 
showing extensive and profitable 



Salt. 



97 



Salt-box. 



business ; to SALT an invoice = 
to charge extreme prices so as to 
permit an apparently liberal dis- 
count ; to SALT a mine = to 
sprinkle (or PLANT, q.v.) a worn- 
out or bogus property with gold 
dust, diamonds, &c., with a 
view to good sales, and so forth. 
Hence SALTER = a fraudulent 
vendor. 

1872. Civil Service Gaz., 28 Dec. 
The magnificent Californian diamond fields 
are nowhere . . . only SALTED with 
diamonds and rubies bought in England, 
according to the well-known process of 

SALTING. 

1883. PAYN, Canon's Ward, xlviii. 
Your two friends had . . . been SALTING 
the mine. There is a warrant out for 
Dawson's apprehension on a much more 
serious charge. 

1885. D. Telegraph, 22 Sept. One 
of the first to practise the art of SALTING 
sham goldfields. 

1892. PERCY CLARKE, New Chum in 
Australia, 72. A SALTED claim, a pit 
sold for a 10 note, in which a nugget 
worth a few shillings had before been 
planted. 

1 894. Pall Mall Gaz. , 22 Dec. ' The 
art of SALTING a mine' [Title]. Ibid. 
Even experienced mining men and engi- 
neers have been made victims by SALTERS. 

^.1901. BRET HARTE .... And 
the tear of sensibility has SALTED many a 
claim. 

2. (American colloquial). To 
be-jewell profusely: see sense I, 

TO SALT A MINE. 

1873. Times, 20 Jan. ' WELL 
SALTED.' An American paper states that 
Colorado ladies wearing much jewelry are 
said to be WELL SALTED. 

3. (old). See quot. 

1636. [MARTIN, Life q/ First Lord 
Shaftesbury, i. 42]. On a particular day, 
the senior undergraduates in the evening 
called the freshmen to the fire, and made 
them hold out their chins ; whilst one of 
the seniors with the nail of his thumb 
(which was left long for that purpose) 
grated off all the skin from the Up to the 
chin, and then obliged him to drink a beer 
glass of water and SALT. 



1850. Notes and Queries, i S., i. 390. 
College SALTING and Tucking of Fresh- 



PHRASES. WITH A GRAIN OF 
SALT = under reserve : Lat. ; 
NOT WORTH ONE'S SALT = un- 
worthy of hire ; TO EAT ONE'S 
SALT = to be received as a guest 
or under protection : SALT also 
= hospitality ; TO PUT (CAST, or 

LAY) SALT ON THE TAIL = to 

ensnare, to achieve : as children 
are told to catch birds ; TO COME 

AFTER WITH SALT AND SPOONS 

(' of one that is none of the 
Hastings,' B. E.) ; MAN OF SALT 
= a man of tears. 

1580. LVLY, Euphues [OLIPHANT, 
New Eng., i. 607. Among the verbs are 

. . . LAY SALT ON A BIRD'S TAILE]. 

1608-11. HALL, Epistles, Dec. i., 
Ep. 8. Abandon those from your table 
and SALT whom . . . experience shall 
descrie dangerous 

1664. BUTLER, Hudibras, n. i. 278. 
Such great atchievements cannot fail To 

CAST SALT ON A WOMAN'S TAIL. 

1809. WELLINGTON [GLEIG, Li f e, 
702], The real fact is ... I have EATEN 
the King's SALT. On that account I 
believe it to be my duty to serve without 
hesitation . . . 

1824. SCOTT, Redgauntlet, xi. Were 
you coming near him with soldiers, or 
constables . . . you will never LAY SALT 
ON HIS TAIL. 

1854. DICKENS, Hard Times, xvii. 
He is a dissipated extravagant idler ; he 

is NOT WORTH HIS SALT. Ibid. (1861), 

Great Expectations, iv. Plenty of sub- 
jects going about for them that know how 

TO PUT SALT UPON THEIR TAILS. 

1855. THACKERAY, Newcomes, v. 
One does not EAT A MAN'S SALT as it were 
at these dinners. There is nothing sacred 
in this kind of London hospitality. 

SALT-BOX, subs, (thieves'). A 
prison cell : specifically (Newgate) 
= the condemned cell (GROSE, 
VAUX). Fr. abattoir. 

G 



Salt-box-cly. 



Sam. 



1820. London Mag., i. 29. Leaving 
the stone-jug after a miserable residence in 
the SALT-BOXES, to be topp'd in front of 
the debtors' door. 

SALT-BOX-CLY, subs. phr. (Old 
Cant). An outside pocket with 
a flap (GROSE, VAUX). 

SALTEE (or SAULTY), subs, (theatri- 
cal). A penny : see RHINO. 

1861. READE, Cloister and Hearth, 
Iv. It had rained kicks all day in lieu of 
SALTEES. 

1875. FROST, Circus Life, 306. 
SAULTY may be derived from the Italian 
soldi, and duey SAULTY and tray SAULTY 
are also of foreign origin. 

SALT- EEL, subs. phr. (old naval). 
A rope's-end; TO HAVE SALT- 
EEL FOR suppER=to be thrashed 
(B. E., GROSE). 

1695. CONGREVE, Love for Love, iii. 

?. Ben. An' he comes near me, may hap 
may giv'n A SALT EEL FOR'S SUPPER for 
all that. 

1752. SMOLLETT, Per. Pickle, xl. 
If so be as how you have a mind to give 
him a SALT-EEL FOR SUPPER. 



SALT-HORSE (or SALT-JUNK), subs, 
phr. (nautical). Salt beef: also 
OLD-HORSE (or -JUNK) which see. 

1837. MARRYATT, Snarley Vow, 
xii. So while they cut their raw SALT 
JUNKS, with beef you will be crammed. 

1874. SCAMMON, Marine Mammals, 
123. Substantial fare called SALT-HORSE 
and hard-tack. 

1880. Blackivood's Mag., Jan., 59. 
' Let me give you some SALT JUNK.' John 
was hungry, and rather enjoyed the salt 
beef. 

1884. RUSSELL, Jack's Courtship, i. 
SALT-HORSE works out of the pores. 

SALTIM BANCO, subs, (showmen's). 
A street clown ; A JIM CROW ; 
A BILLY BARLOW. Fr. pitre. 

SALT RIVER, subs. phr. (American). 
See quots. 



1848. BARTLETT, Diet, [quoting J. 
INMAN], To ROW UP SALT RIVER . . . 
there is a small stream of that name in 
Kentucky . . . difficult and laborious by 
its tortuous course as by shallows and 
bars. The application is to the unhappy 
wight who has the task of propelling the 
boat up the stream ; but, in political or 
slang usage, it is to those who are rowed 
up. 

c. 1 86 [?]. Burial of Uncle Sam [quoted 
by DE VERB]. " We thought . . . That 
Sag-Nichts and strangers would tread o'er 
his head, And we up the SALT RIVER 
billows." 

1871. DE VERE, Americanisms, . . . 
It has become a universal cant phrase to 
say, that an unlucky wight, who has failed 
to be elected to some public office, was 
ROWED UP SALT RIVER. If very grievously 
defeated, they were apt to be ROWED UP 
TO THE VERY HEADWATERS OF SALT 
RIVER. 

1877. New York Tribune, 28 Feb. 
Put away his empty barrel ; Fold his 
Presidential clothes ; He has started up 
SALT RIVER, Led and lit by Cronin's nose. 

SALTS - AND - SENNA, subs. phr. 
(common). A doctor : see 
TRADES. 

SALUBRIOUS, adj. (common). i. 
Drunk : see SCREWED ; (2) = 
* Pretty well, thank you.' 

SALVE, subs, (common). Praise; 

GAMMON (q.V.)'. cf. LlP-SALVE. 

SAM, subs, (provincial). A Liver- 
pudlian : also DICKY SAM. 

To STAND SAM, verb. phr. 
(common). To pay the shot; 
TO TREAT (q.V.). 

1823. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, 
iii. 5. Landlady, serve them with a glass 
of tape, all round ; and I'll STAND SAMMY. 

1834. AINSWORTH, Rook-wood, iv. ii. 
I must insist upon STANDING SAM upon 
the present occasion. 

1876. HINDLEY, Cheap Jack, 123. 
He had perforce to STAND SAM for the 
lot. 

1885. BLACK, White Heather, xxxii. 
There's plenty ready TO STAND SAM, now 
that Ronald is kent as a writer o" poetry. 



Sambo. 



99 



Sand. 



1887. HENLEY, Villon's Good-Night, 
2. Likewise you molls that flash your 
bubs For Swells to spot and STAND YOU 
SAM. 

1890. Lie. Viet. Gaz., 8 Feb. I'll 
STAND SAM for a week at Brighton for 
both of us. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 36. 
If sometimes P. J. do STAND SAM, why I 
ain't one to give myself hairs. 

SAMBO, subs. (old). A negro : 
generic : ^. 1558 (ARBER, Garner, 
v. 95) a tribe of Africans is called 
SAMBOSES. 

1862. Punch, Aug.. Jon. Appeal. 
Now, SAMBO, darn it ... You know how 
we in airnest air, From slavery to ease you. 

SAMMY (or SAMMY-SOFT), subs, 
phr. (common). A fool : see 
BUFFLE. Also as adj. = foolish 
(GROSE). 

1837. PEAKE, Quarter to Nine, 2. 
What a SAMMY, give me a shilling more 
than I axed him ! 

1843. MONCRIEFF, Scamps of Lon- 
don, ii. i. I'm a ruined homo, a muff, a 
flat, a SAM, a regular ass. 

SAMPLE, verb, (common). i. To 
drink : see LUSH. Hence 
SAMPLE-ROOM = a drinking bar. 

1847. PORTER, Quarter Race, 118. 
Old T. never SAMPLES too much when on 
business. 

i8[?]. H. PAUL, World Upside 
Down [BARTLETT]. John opened a 
SAMPLE- ROOM, and served out beer and gin. 

2. (venery). To fumble, or 
occupy a woman for the first time. 

SAMPLE-COUNT, sfo. (commercial). 
A traveller ; an AMBASSADOR 

OF COMMERCE (q.V.}. 

1894. EGERTON, Keynotes, 72. An 
ubiquitous SAMPLE-COUNT from Berlin is 
measuring his wits with a ... merchant. 

SAMPLE OF SIN, subs. phr. (old). 
A harlot : see TART. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 105. That delicate SAMPLE OF 
SIN, who depends on her wantonness for 
her attractions. 



SAMPLER, subs, (venery). The 
female ptidendum : see MONO- 
SYLLABLE. 

SAMSON (or SAMPSON), subs. 
(common). i. A drink made of 
brandy, cider, sugar, and a little 
water (HALLIWELL). 

2. (Durham School). A baked 
jam pudding. 

SAMSON AND ABEL, subs. phr. 
(Oxford University). A group of 
wrestlers in the quadrangle of 
Brasenose. [Some said it repre- 
sented Samson killing a Phili- 
stine ; others Cain killing Abel : 
the matter was compromised.] 

SAMSON'S-POSTS, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). A mousetrap so con- 
structed that the capture is crushed 
to death. 

SAND, subs, (old). i. Moist sugar 
(GROSE, VAUX). 

2. (American). See quots. 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life, 73. He 
set his brain to work conning a most 
powerful speech, one that would knock the 
SAND from under Hoss. 

1884. CLEMENS, Huck. Finn, viii. 
When I got to camp I warn't feeling very 
brash, there warn't much SAND in my 
craw ; but I says, this ain't no time to be 
fooling around. 

1892. J. L. HILL, Treason- Felony, 
22. You're a long-winded old fraud, Mac, 
with a bonnet full of bees, and a head full 
of maggots, but you've got the SAND. 

1896. LILLARD, Poker Stories, 19. 
SAND enough and money enough to sit out 
the game. 

To EAT SAND, verb. phr. (old). 
See quot. 

1743. Memoirs of M. du Gue-Trouin 
(2nd ed.), 95. Now it is very common for 
the man at the helm to shorten his watch 
by turning the glass before it is quite run 
out, which is called EATING OF SAND . . . 
as we had not seen the sun for nine days 



Sandbag. 



100 



Sandy-pate. 



together ... it happened, that the helms- 
men had EATEN so MUCH SAND, that at 
the end of nine days they had changed the 
day into night, and the night into day. 

SANDBAG, subs, (thieves'). i. A 
long sausage-like bag of sand 
dealing a heavy blow that leaves 
no mark. Also as verd., and 

SANDBAGGER. 

1895. POCOCK, Rules of the Game, 
II. vii. The other burglar, who looked 
like a mechanic, had now come up behind, 
and was brandishing a SAND-BAG. 

2. (military). In pi. = The 
Grenadier Guards. Also OLD 
EYES, COALHEAVERS, HOUSE- 
MAIDS' PETS, and BERMUDA 
EXILES 



SANDBOY. As HAPPY (JOLLY or 
MERRY) AS A SANDBOY, phr. 
(old). 'All rags and all happi- 
ness ... a merry fellow who 
has tasted a drop ' (BEE). 

1840. DICKENS, Old Cur. Shop, 
xvii. I put up at the JOLLY SANDBOYS, 
and nowhere else. 

1900. BOOTHBY, Maker of Nations, 
iv. He had had a fairly rough time of it, 
but the men seemed as jolly as SANDBOYS. 

SAN DGATE- RATTLE, Subs. phr. 

(provincial). A quick and violent 
stamping dance. 

SAND- MAN (or SANDY- MAN), subs. 
phr. (nursery). When sleepy 
children begin to rub their eyes 
'THE SAND-MAN (or DUSTMAN) 
is COMING.' 

SANDPAPER, verb, (common). See 
quots. 

1889. Answers, 9 Feb. " You will 
have to enact three parts in the ' Silent 
Foe' to-night." "Can't do it," said 
Lancaster, "and I hope to be SAND- 
PAPERED if I try." 



1901. D. Telegraph, 14 May, 10, 7. 
Let the American grass-widow with the 
broad and exasperating accent, which she 
takes no pains to SANDPAPER, be reduced 
to a minimum. 

SANDWICH, subs, (common). i. 
See quots. : also SANDWICH MAN : 
see TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE. 

1836. DICKENS, Boz, 147. He 
stopped the unstamped advertisement an 
ANIMATED SANDWICH, composed of a boy 
between two boards. 

1880. Scribner's Mag., Aug., 607. 
The double sign-boards, or SANDWICHES 
[incorrectly used] which conceal his body. 
Ibid., 609. The SANDWICH-MAN carries in 
glass cases sample boots, sample shirts, &c. 

2. (common). A gentleman 
between two ladies : cf. BODKIN ; 
THORN BETWEEN TWO ROSES, 
&c. Fr. dne a deux pannieres. 

1848. THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, 
Iviii. A pale young man . . . came walk- 
ing down the lane EN SANDWICH having a 
lady, that is, on each arm. 

Verb, (colloquial). To insert 
between dissimilars. 

1886. Referee, 18 April. These pro- 
ceedings were SANDWICHED with vocal 
and instrumental selections. 

SANDWICH -BOAT. See BUMPING- 

RACE. 

SANDY, subs. (Scots' colloquial). 
A Scot : short for Alexander. 

1500. DUNBAR, Works [PATERSON], 
251 [OlJPHAifT, New Eng., i. 362. Alex- 
ander appears as SANDY ; Englishmen on 
the other hand, dock the last half of the 
Greek word, and make it A licK\. 

^.1555. LYNDSAY, Kitty's Confessioun 
[LAING], i. 136. Ane plack I will gar 
SANDY, Gie the agane with Handie- 
Dandie. 

1885. Sportsman, 28 July, 2, i. 
Scotland has been troubled by a great and 
mighty heat, which has scorched SANDY'S 
brow and burnt the colour out of his kilt. 

SANDY-PATE, subs. (old). 'One 
re4-hair'd' (B. E., GROSE). 



Sangaree. 



101 



Sard. 



SANGAREE, subs. (old). i. A 
drunken bout (HALLIWELL). 

SANGUINARY JAMES. 



SANK (SANKY, or CENTIPERS), 

subs. (old). A soldiers' tailor 
(GROSE) : whence SANK-WORK 
(see quot). 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Lon. Lab., i. 377. 
She's gone almost as blind as myself work- 
ing at the SANK WORK (making up soldiers' 
clothing). 

SAP (SAPHEAD, SAP-PATE, or 
SAPSCULL), subs. (old). i. A 
fool : see BUFFLE. Whence 

SAPPY (or SAPHEADED, &C. ) = 
foolish ; namby-pamby ; lazy 
(B. E., DYCHE, MARTIN, GROSE, 
BEE). 

1665. HEAD, English Rogue (1874), 
I. v. 48. Culle a SAP-HEADED fellow. 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xlviii. 
" They're sporting the door of the Custom- 
house, and the auld SAP at Hazlewood 
House has ordered off the guard." Ibid. 
(1817), Rob Roy, xix. He maun be a soft 

SAP. 

1840. HALIBURTON, Clockmaker, 3, 
v. v. Talkin' cute, looks knavish ; but 
talkin' soft, looks SAPPY. 

1856. BRONTE, Professor, iv. If you 
are patient because you think it a duty to 
meet an insult with submission, you are an 
essential SAP. 

1884. CLEMENS, Huck. Finn, iii. 
You don't seem to know anything, some- 
how perfect SAP-HEAD. 

1886. The State, 20 May, 217. A 
SAP-HEAD is a name for a fool. 

1887. BRET HARTE, Cons, of Excel- 
sior, n. i. These SAP-HEADED fools. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 70. 
Sour old SAP. 

2. (common). A hard worker: 
(school) a diligent student ; a 
HASH (Charterhouse). Also as 
verb. = to read hard ; to SWOT. 

1827. LYTTON, Pelham, ii. When I 
once attempted to read Pope's poems out 
of school hours, I was laughed at, and 
called a SAP. 



1848. KINGSLEY, Yeast, i. SAPPING 
and studying still. 

1850. S MEDLEY, Frank Fairlegh, 
117. They pronounced me an incorrigible 
SAP. 

1853. LYTTON, My Novel, i. xii. He 
was sent to school to learn his lessons, and 
he learns them. You calls that SAPPING 
I call it doing his duty. 

1856. WHYTE - MELVILLE, Kate 
Coventry, xvii. At school, if he makes an 
effort at distinction in school-hours, he is 
stigmatised by his comrades as a SAP. 

1888. GOSCHEN, Speech at Aberdeen, 
31 Jan. Epithets applied to those who 
. . . commit the heinous offence of being 
absorbed in it [work]. Schools and colleges 
. . . have invented . . . phrases, semi- 
classical or wholly vernacular, such as a 
"SAP," "smug," "swot," "bloke," "a 
mugster." 

1891. Harry Fludyer at Cambridge, 
46. I ... haven't to go SAPPING round 
to get it when I want my own tea. 

3. (common). Ale : see 
DRINKS. Hence, as verb. = TO 

BOOZE (q.V.): SAPPY-DRINKING 

= excessive drinking. 

SAPPY, adj. (Durham School). i. 
Severe ; of a caning. 

2. See SAP, subs. i. 

SARAHS, subs. (Stock Exchange). 
Manchester, Sheffield, and 
Lincoln Deferred Stock. 

SARAH'S BOOTS, subs. phr. (Stock 
Exchange). Sierra Buttes Gold 
Mining Co.'s Shares. 

SARD, verb, (old). To copulate : 
see GREENS and RIDE. 

1539. LYNDSAY, Thrie Estaitis 
[LAING], 3027, 8. Quhilk will, for purging 
of their neirs SARD up ae raw, and doun 
the uthir. 

1598. FLORIO, Worlde of Wordes 
s.v. Fottere. To iape, to SARD, to fucke, 
to swive, to occupye. 

1617. HOWELL, Letters, 17. Go, 
teach your grandam TO SARD, a Notting- 
ham proverb. 



Sardine. 



IO2 



Sauce. 



SARDINE, subs. (American). i. 
A sailor : spec, an old whaling 
hand. [The living space on board 
a whaler is limited.] Whence (2) 
one of the crowd : see HERRING. 
PACKED LIKE SARDINES = hud- 
dled. 

.184 [?]. New Haven, J. C. [BART- 
LETT]. We ' Old Whalers," or as we are 
sometimes called 'SARDINES.' 

3. (Stock Exchange). In pi. 
Royal Sardinian Ry. Shares. 

SARK, verb. (Sherborne School). 
To sulk. 

SASSENGER (or SASSIGER), subs. 
(vulgar). A sausage. 

SATAN'S BONES. See BONES. 
SATCHEL-ARSED. See ARSE. 

SATE- POLL, subs. phr. (common). 
A stupid person : see BUFFLE. 

SATIN. See WHITE SATIN. 

SATURDAY NIGHTER, subs. phr. 
(Harrow School). An exercise 
set for Saturday night. 

SATURDAY-SCAVENGER (or -SCARA- 
MOUCH. See WEEKLY SCARI- 
FIER. 

SATURDAY- SOLDIER, sitbs. phr. 
(common). A volunteer. 

1890. Globe, ii Aug., 3, 2. A slight 
selection of the epithets which he showered 
on the citizen defender : " Catshooter," 
SATURDAY SOLDIER. 

SATURDAY-TO- MONDAY, subs. phr. 
(colloquial). i. A week-end 
jaunt ; and (2) a week-end 
woman. 

SATYR, subs. (Old Cant). A 
cattle-thief. 



SAUCE (SARSE. SASS, or SAUCI- 
NESS), subs, (colloquial). i. 
Impudence ; assurance (see quot. 
1555). Hence SAUCY (adj.) = 
(i) impudent, bold, presuming; 
and (2) SMART (q.v.) ; as verb. 
(or TO EAT SAUCE) = to abuse, 

TO LIP (q.V.) ; SAUCE-BOX 
(SAUCE - PATE, SAUCELING, or 

SAUCE-JACK) = an impertinent : 
see JACK-SAUCE (B. E., GROSE). 

^.1529. < S>viKi^o^,BowgeofCourte,']\. 
To be so perte . . . she sayde she trowed 
that I had ETEN SAUCE ; she asked yf euer 

I DRANKE Of SAUCYS CUPPE. Ibid., Mag- 

nyfycence, 1421. Ye haue ETEN SAUCE, I 
trowe, at the Taylors Hall. 

^.1555. LATIMER, Sermons, 182. 
When we see a fellow sturdy, loftie, and 
proud, men say, this is a SAUCY fellow 
. . . whiche taketh more upon him than 
he ought to doe. Ibid. He that will be 
a Christian man . . . must be a SAUSIE 
fellow : he must be well powdered with the 
SAUSE of affliction. 

1587. STANIHURST, Desc. of Ireland, 
i. 13. Ineptus\s as much in English, in 
my phantasie, as SAUCIE or malapert. 

1 588. Marfirelate's Epistle (ARBER), 
6. This is a pretie matter yat slanders by 
must be so busie in other men's games : 
why SAWCEBONES must you be pratling ? 

1594. TYLNEY, Lochrine, iii. 3. You, 
master SAUCEBOX, lobcock, cockscomb. 

1595. SHAKSPEARB, Romeo and 
Juliet, ii. 4, 153. What SAUCY merchant 
was this, that was so full of his ropery? 
Ibid, (1596), As You Like It, iii. 5. I'll 
SAUCE her with bitter words. Ibid. (1600), 
Merry Wives, iv. 3. I'll make them pay : 
I'll SAUCE them. Ibid., Lear (1605), i. i. 
This knave came somewhat SAUCILY into 
the world before he was sent for. 

1598. LAYDOCK, Lomatius on Paint- 
ing \N &KE.?,~\. Nothing can deterre these 
SAUCIE doultes from this their dizardly in- 
humanite. 

1614. JONSON, Barth. Fair. The 
reckonings for them are so SAUCY, that a 
man had as good licke his fingers in a baudy 
house. 

1620. FLETCHER, Philaster, ii. i. 
They were grown too SAUCY for himself. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works, i. 113. JACK 
SAWCE, the worst knave amongst the 
pack. 



Sauce. 



103 



Sauce. 



1638. PEACHAM, Truth of Our 
Times. In Queene Elizabeth's time were 
the great bellied doublets, wide SAWCY 
sleeves, that would be in every dish before 
their masters. 

1663. KILI.EGREW, Parson's Wed- 
ding, iii. Why, goodman SAUCE-BOX, 
you will not make my lady pay for their 
reckoning, will you ? 

1689. Satyr Against Hypocrites 
[NARES]. Then, full of SAWCE and zeal, 
up steps Elnathan. 

1705. WARD, Hud. Rediv., \. \. 28. 
No SAUCEBOX, sure, by way of Farce, 
Will bid his Pastor Kiss his Arse. 

1732. FIELDING, Mock Doctor, 2. 
What s that to you, SAUCE-BOX ? Is it any 
business of yours. 

1839. AINSWORTH, Jack SJieppard, 
ii. xii. How do you like your quarters, 
SAUCEBOX? asked Sharpies, in a 'eering 
tone. 

c.i 838. East End Tailor's Broadside 
Advt. Kicksies made very SAUCY. 

1843. MONCRIEFF, Scamps of Lon- 
don, iii. i. I've got a SARCY pair. 

1856-7. ELIOT, Amos Barton, vii. 
Nanny . . . secretly chuckled over her 
outburst of SAUCE as the best morning's 
work she had ever done. 

1862. LOWELL, Biglow Papers. 
We begin to think it's nater To take 
SARCE, and not be riled. 

^.1871. Siliad, 17. Yankee impudence 
and SASS. 

1890. M. Advertiser, 4 Nov. The 
witness denied that she SAUCED him or 
that she was drunk. 

1897. MAUGHAM, Liza of Lambeth, 
xi. I won't kill yer, but if I 'ave any 
more of your SAUCE, I'll do the next thing 
to it. 

2. (old : now American). 
Vegetables : whence GARDEN- 
SAUCE = a salad ; LONG-SAUCE 
= carrots, parsnips, beet, &c. ; 
SHORT-SAUCE = potatoes, turnips, 
onions, &c. Whence any acces- 
sory or sequel. 

1705. BEVERLEY, Hist, of Virginia. 
Roots, herbs, vine fruits, and salad flowers 
. . . very delicious SAUCE to their meats. 



1833. NEAL, Down Easters, vii. 91. 
That am't the kind o' SARSE I wanted, 
puddin' gravy to corn-fish ! . . . I wanted 
cabbage or potaters, or most any sort o' 
garden SARSE. 

184 [?]. Widow Bedott Papers, 88. 
If I should stay away to tea . . . don't 
be a lettin" into the plum SASS and cake as 
you did the other day. 

3. (venery). Pox (q.v.) or 
CLAP (q.V.). 

1697. VANBRUGH, Provok'd Wife, 
iv. 3. I hope your punks will give you 
SAUCE to your mutton. 

3. (old). Money : see RHINO. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Ias(rBi2), i. 
ii. Having paid SAUCE for a supper which 
I had so ill digested. Ibid., n. vii. Hav- 
ing breakfasted, and paid SAUCE for my 
good cheer, I made but one stage to 
Segovia. 

PHRASES. To SERVE WITH 
THE SAME SAUCE = to minister 
or retaliate in kind; 'WHAT'S 
SAUCE FOR THE GOOSE IS SAUCE 
FOR THE GANDER ' = TIT-FOR- 

TAT (q.v.}\ CARRIER'S- (or POOR 
MAN'S-) SAUCE = hunger : cf. 
' Hunger is the best SAUCE ' ; 
' MORE SAUCE THAN PIG' = 
'exceeding bold' (B. E.). 

1609. Man in the Moone [NARES]. 
After him another came unto her, and 
SERVED her WITH THE SAME SAUCE : then 
a third ; at last she began to wax warie. 

1700. COLLIER, Short Def. of Short 
View, 37. THAT'S SAWCE FOR A GOOSE 

IS SAWCE FOR A GANDER. 

1703. WARD, Land. Spy [NARES]. 
If be had been strong enough I dare swear 
he would' have SERV'D him THE SAME 

SAUCE. 

1 708-10. SWIFT, Polite Conversation, 
ii. Neverout {giving Miss a pinch (in 
return)}. Take that, Miss ; WHAT'S 
SAUCE FOR A GOOSE is FOR A GANDER. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 367, s.v. SAUCE FOR GOOSE, 

SAUCE FOR GANDER. 

1896. COTSFORD DICK, Way of 
World, 44. Let the SAUCE good FOR THE 
GANDER Then be seasoned, without 
slander, FOR THE GOOSE ! 



Saucepan. 



104 



Save. 



SAUCEPAN. To HAVE THE SAUCE- 
PAN ON THE FIRE, verb. phr. 
(old). To be set on a scolding 
bout. 

THE SAUCEPAN RUNS (or 
BOILS) OVER, phr. (old). 'You 
are exceeding bold.' B. E. 
(^.1696). 

SAUCEBOX, subs, (common). The 
mouth. 

2. See SAUCE. 

SAUCERS, subs, (common). Eyes : 
spec, large, wide-opened eyes : 
also SAUCER-EYES. 

1509. HALL, Satires, vi. i. Her 
eyes like silver SAUCERS faire beset. 

1636. SUCKLING, Goblins, iv. Had 
we no walking fire, Nor SAUCER-EYED 
devil of these woods that led us. 

1655. MASSINGER, A Very Woman, 
ii. Upon my conscience, she would see 
the devil first, With eyes AS BIG AS 
SAUCERS ; when I but named you. 

1697. VANBRUGH, Relapse, v. 3. 
Stare you in the face with huge SAUCER- 
EYES. 

1751. SMOLLETT, Peregrine Pickle, 
xiii. Damn'd if it was not Davy Jones 
himself. I know him by his SAUCER-EYES. 

1864. MARK LEMON, Jest Book, 185. 
I always know when he has been in his 
cups by the state of his SAUCERS. 

SAUCY GREENS, subs. phr. (mili- 
tary). The 2nd Bat. Worcester 
Regiment, formerly the Thirty- 
Sixth Foot. [From the facings 
1742-1881.] 

SAUCY-JACK. See SAUCY, and 
JACK, subs.) sense 8. 

SAUCY POMPEYS. See POMPA- 
DOURS. 

SAUCY SIXTH (THE), subs. phr. 
(military). The Royal Warwick- 
shires, formerly The 6th Foot. 
Also "Guise's Geese"; and 
"The Warwickshire Lads." 



SAUCY SEVENTH (THE OLD). 

The Seventh (The Queen's Own) 
Hussars (in the Peninsula) : also 
" The Lily-white Seventh," 
"Young Eyes," "Old Straws," 
and " Strawboots." 

SAUNTER, verb, (old : now recog- 
nised). 'To loiter Idly' (B. E.). 

SAUSAGE (or LIVE-SAUSAGE), subs. 
(venery). The/*iuV : see PRICK. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, i. xi. 
Some of the other women would give these 
names, my Roger . . . my lusty LIVE 
SAUSAGE, my crimson chitterling. 

i?59- 6 7' STERNE, Tristram Shandy, 
ix. 7. She made a feint, however, of 
defending herself by snatching up a 
SAUSAGE. Tom instantly laid hold of 
another But seeing Tom's had more 
gristle in it She signed the capitulation 
and Tom seal'd it ; and there was an end 
of the matter. 

SAVAGE RODS, adv. (American). 
Savage. 

1847. PORTER, Big Bear, 121. Well, 
Capting, they war mighty SAVAGEROUS 
arter likher. 

1848. BURTON, Waggeries, 24. They 
growed so darned SAVAGEROUS that I 
kinder feared for my own safety. 

c.i 852. Traits of Amer. Humour, 53. 
I looked at him sorter SAVIGEROUS like. 

SAVE, verb, (racing). To set part 
of one bet against another ; TO 
HEDGE (q.v.). [Two persons 
back different horses agreeing, if 
either wins, to give the other, say 
;5, who thus SAVES a ' fiver.' 
Also, as in pool, to SAVE the 
stakes. Likewise to keep a 
certain horse on one side, not 
betting against it, SAVING it as a 
clear winner for oneself. Hence 
SAVER = a bet so made. 

1869. EKADVfoOD,T/ieO.y./f.,xx. 
Most who received the news at least SAVED 
themselves upon the outsider. 



Save-all. 



105 



Sawdust. 



1891. GOULD, Double Event, 301. 
The fact of the matter was, Kingdon had 
determined to make a 10,000 book for 
Mohican, or, in other words, to SAVE that 
horse to run for him. Ibid., 123. I've 
put a SAVER on Caloola. 

HANG SAVING, phr. (old collo- 
quial). ' Blow the expense.' 

1708-10. SWIFT, Polite Conversation, 
ii. Lord Smart. Come, HANG SAVING : 
bring us a Halfporth of Cheeze. 

See BACON. 

SAVE-ALL, subs. phr. (common). 
A stingy person ; a miser (GROSE). 

SAVERS, inti. (boys'). ' Halves ! ' 

SAVE -REVERENCE. See SIR- 
REVERENCE. 

SAVING-CHIN, subs. phr. (old). A 
projecting chin : ' that catches 
what may fall from the nose ' : 
cf. NUTCRACKERS (GROSE). 

1772. BRIDGES, Burlesque Homer, 
56. It had your phizz and toothless jaws, 
And SAVING-CHIN and pimpl'd nose. 

SAVEY (or SAVVY), suds, and verb. 
(American). i. As verb = to 
know ; as subs. = understanding ; 
wit; NOUS (?..). 

1833. CARMICHAEL, West Indies 
[BARTLETT]. When I read these stories, 
the Negroes looked delighted, and said : 
11 We SAVEY dat well, misses." 

1884. Graphic, 18 Oct., 418, 2. 
" Because no can SAVVEY if Chinaman 
like it," was the answer. 

1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms, xiv. If George had had the SAVEY 
to crack himself up a little. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, n. 
Fur too much SAVVY to frown. 

2. (Pidgin). To have ; to 
know; to do; and all the other 
verbs that be. 

SAW, sttbs. (whist). The alternate 
trumping by two partners of suits 
led for the purpose ; a RUFF. 
Also SEE-SAW, and as verb. 



1755. Connoisseur, No. 60. A forces 
B, who, by leading Spades, plays into A's 
hand, who returns a Club, and so they get 
to a SAW between them. 

2. (American). A hoax : also 
as adj. and verb. Fr. scie. 

1847. PORTER, Quarter Race, 68. 
1 Running a SAW ' on a French gentleman. 

1847. DARLEY, Drama in Poter- 
ville, 68. The manager was SAWED, as 
certainly as that Mr. Waters was not 
slain. Ibid. The thoroughly SAWED 
victim made way for him as if he had been 
the cholera incarnate. 

SAW YOUR TIMBER ! phr. 
(common). Be off ! Cut your 
STICK (q.V.). 

HELD AT THE (or A) LONG 
SAW, phr. (old). Held in sus- 
pense. 

1742. NORTH, Lord Guildford, \. 
148. Between the one and the other he 

Was HELD AT THE LONG SAW OVCr a 

month. 

SAWBONES, subs, (common). A 
surgeon ; FLESH-TAILOR (q.v.). 

1836. DICKENS, Pickwick, xxx. 
' What ! Don't you know what a SAW- 
BONES is, sir?' inquired Mr. Weller. 'I 
thought everybody know'd as a SAWBONES 
was a Surgeon.' 

1849-50. THACKERAY, Pendennis, n. 
xviii. She has taken on with another chap 
another SAWBONES. 

SAWDER (or SOFT-SAWDER), subs. 
(common). Soft speech; BLAR- 
NEY (q.v.). 

1853. LYTTON, My Novel, in. xiii. 
You've got SOFT SAWDER enough. 

1863. READE, Hard Cash, xli. She 
sent in a note explaining who she was, 
with a bit of SOFT SAWDER. 

1866. ELIOT, Felix Holt, xxi. My 
Lord Jermyn seems to have his insolence 
as ready as his SOFT SAWDER. 

1896. ALLEN, Tents of Shem, x. I 
didn't try bullying ; I tried SOFT SAWDER. 

SAWDUST (or SAWDUSTY), subs. 
(common). I. Humbug : also as 
adj. 



Sawney. 



1 06 



Say-so. 



1884. Punch, ii Oct. Fancy, old 
chump, Me doing the SAWDUSTY reglar, 
and follering swells on the stump. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 41. 
That's true poetry, ain't it Not SAWDUST 
and snivel. 

2. (American). A variety of 
the confidence trick. 

1888. Pittsburg Times, 8 Feb. He 
is implicated in the robbery of 10,000 
dollars from William Murdock on Satur- 
day a week ago. Murdock was drawn 
into a SAWDUST game in an office whose 
location he could not remember, on Grant 
street. 

1888. New Orleans Times Democrat, 
6 Feb. The prominent men you speak of 
are never at the front in any of these 
SAWDUST transactions . . . The courts find 
it very difficult to send a man to State 
prison for this kind of swindling, and the 
SAWDUST man who fights hard is generally 
certain of acquittal. 

SAWNEY (or SAWNY), subs. (old). 
i. A lout : see BUFFLE (B. E.). 
As adj. = stupid. 

1567. EDWARDS, Damon and Pithias 
[DODSLEV, Old Plays (HAZLITT), iv. 74]. 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng., i. 566. A servant 
speaks French to astonish a friend, and 
calls him petit ZAWNE (zany or sawny). ] 

1871. MRS. H. WOOD, Dene Hollow, 
viii. That wench Pris . . . she's a regular 
SAWNEY, though, in some things. 

1873. Miss BROUGHTON, Nancy, vii. 
The bronze of his face is a little paled by 
emotion, but there is no SAWNY sentiment 
in his tone, none of the lover's whine. 

2. (Scots'). A Scot; SANDY 
(g.v.). B. E., GROSE. 

</.i704. BROWN, Highlander [Works, 
i. 127]. And learn from him against a 
time of need To husband wealth, as 
SAWNY does his weed. 

1714. GAY, Shep. Week, vi. 115. He 
sung of Taffy Welch, and SAWNEY Scot. 

1748. SMOLLETT, Rod. Random, xiii. 
[Addressing a Scotchman] ' Is it oatmeal 
or brimstone, SAWNEY ? ' said he. 

1772. BRIDGES, Burlesque Homer, 
138. A queer look'd whelp, called SAWNEY 
Dunn ; His men from Caledonia came. 
Ibid. As firm as SAWNEY'S rubbing post. 



1822. SCOTT, Fortunes of Nigel, ii. 
Jockey ... a name which at that time 
was used, as SAWNEY now is, for a general 
appellative of the Scottish nation. 

1892. HENLEY and STEVENSON, 
Deacon Brodie, Tabl. ii. ii. Jock runs 
east, and SAWNEY cuts west. 

3. (common). Bacon ; also 
stolen cheese ; hence, SAWNEY- 
HUNTER = a bacon thief : Fr. 
spec. GROSE, VAUX. 



1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., i. 
275. Of very ready sale " fish got from 
the gate " (stolen from Billingsgate ; 

- 9 . i ,r . , ^* . 



SAWNEY (thieved bacon). Ibid., Gt. 
World of London (1856), 46. SAWNEY- 
HUNTERS, who purloin cheese or bacon 
from cheesemongers' doors. 

SAWN EYING, adj. (old). Soft- 
speaking; pimping; CARNKYING 
(q.v.). 

1808. SOUTHEY, Letters, ii. 63. It 
looks like a sneaking SAWNEYING Metho- 
dist parson. 

SAWYER, subs. (American). A 
snag : a fallen tree, rising and 
falling with the waves. 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life, 106. 
Snags and SAWYERS, just thar, wur dread- 
ful plenty. 

1884. CLEMENS, Huckleberry Finn, 
and Life on the Mississippi (1883), 
passim. 

SAY. See APE'S PATERNOSTER; 
BOH ; JACK ROBINSON ; KNIFE ; 
MOUTH ; NOTHING ; PARSON ; 
PRAYERS ; TE DEUM ; THING ; 
WHEN. 

SAY-SO, subs. phr. (colloquial). 
An assertion ; also a mild oath : 
ON MY SAY-SO = ' On my word 
of honour ' : also SAMMY SAY-SO. 

1885. CRADDOCK, froph. of Great 
Smoky Mountains, xii. Pete Cayce's 
SAY-SO war all I wanted. 

1890. BARR, Friend Olivia, xvii. 
Kelderby stands in the wind of Charles 
Stuart's SAY-SO. 

YOU SAY YOU CAN, BUT CAN 
YOU? phr. (American). 'You 
lie.' 



Scab. 



107 



Scoff older s. 



SCAB, subs. (old). i. A rascal : 
spec, a constable or sheriff's 
officer : often jocular. Hence 
SCABBY (or SCAB) = contemptible; 
beggarly ; SCABBY -SHEEP = a 
ne'er-do-weel ; SCABILONIAN (see 
quot. 1600). 

1591. LYLY, Endimion, iv. 2. Pages. 
What" are yee, SCABS? Watch. The 
Watch : this the Constable. 

1594. GREENE, Frier Bacon [GRO- 
SART, Works, xin. 9]. Loue is such a 
proud SCAB, that he will never meddle 
with fooles nor children. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, 2 Hen. IV., iii. 
2. Wart, thou art a good SCAB. Ibid. 
(1600), Much Ado, iii. 3. Bora. Com- 
rade, I say ! Con. Here, man ; I am at 
thy elbow. Bora. Mass, and my elbow 
itched ; I thought there would a SCAB 
follow. Ibid. (1601), Twelfth Night, ii. 5. 
Sir To. Out, SCAB ! Fab. Nay, patience, 
or we break the sinews of our plot. 

1600. THOMAS HILL, Cath. Religion 
[NARES]. With the introduction of the 
Protestant faith were introduced your 

falligascones, your SCABILONIANS, your 
t. Thomas onions, your ruffees, your 
cuffees, and a thousand such new devised 
Luciferan trinckets. 

1608. MIDDLETON, Trick to Catch 
the Old One, ii. i. He? he's a SCAB to 
thee. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works, ii. in. A 
whore . . . growes pocky proud . . . 
That such poore SCABS as I must net come 
neere her. 

1664. COTTON, Virgil Travestie (ist 
ed.), 15. A huffing Jack, a plund'ring 
Tearer, A vap'ring SCAB, and a great 
Swearer. 

^.1696. B. E., Diet. Cant. Crew, s.y. 
SCAB, a sorry Wench, or Scoundril- 
Fellow. 

1701. DEFOE, True Born English- 
man, i. The Royal Branch, from Pict 
land did succeed, With troops of Scots, 
and SCABS from North-by-Tweed. 

1751. SMOLLETT, Peregrine Pickle, 
xxi. A lousy, SCABBY, nasty, scurvy, 
skulking, lubberly noodle. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., \. 
20. He's a regular SCAB. Ibid. , iii. 107. 
I was the SCABBY SHEEP of the family, and 
I've been punished for it. 



1861. MEREDITH, Evan Harrington, 
vi. A SCABBY sixpence? 

1900. KIPLING, Stalky and Co., 71. 
You're three beastly SCABS. 

2. (artisans'). A workman 
who refuses to join, or continues 
at work during a strike ; a 
BLACKLEG (q.v.) ; generally ap- 
plied to all non- Union men. Fr. 
flint. 

3. (tailors'). A button-hole. 
SCABS ADO, subs, (old). Syphilis. 

1725. BAILEY, Erasmus's Colloq. 
(1900), ii. 23. The new SCABBADO. 

SCABBARD, subs, (venery). The 
female pudendum: see MONO- 
SYLLABLE. 

SCABBY, adj. (printers'). Unevenly 
printed ; blotchy. 

SCABBY-N ECK, subs. pkr. (nautical). 
A Dane. 

SCAB-RAISER, subs. phr. (military: 
obsolete). A drummer. [One 
of whose duties was to wield the 
cat.] 

SCAD, subs. (American). An 
abundance : hence in pi. = 
money ; resources. 

SCADQER, subs, (common). A 
mean fellow ; a CADGER (y.v.). 

SCAFF, subs. (Christ's Hospital : 
obsolete). A selfish fellow : the 
adj. forms are SCALY and SCABBY 
= mean ; stingy. 

SCAFF- AND- RAFF, subs. phr. (Scots' 
colloquial). Refuse, rabble, 
RIFF-RAFF 



SCAFFOLDERS, subs. (old). Spec- 
tators in the gallery ; THE GODS 
(q.v.). 
1599. HALL, Satires, i. iii. 28. He 

ravishes the gazing SCAFFOLDERS. 



Scalawag. 



1 08 Scaldrum-dodge. 



SCALAWAG (or SCALLAWAG), subs. 
(American). (i) Anything low 
class ; and spec. (2) as in 
quot. 1891. As adj. = wastrel ; 
shrunken ; profligate : cf. CAR- 
PET-BAGGER. 

1855. HALIBURTON, Human Nature, 
[BARTLETT]. You good-for-nothin' young 
SCALAWAG. 

1870. Melbourne Argus. A new 
term has been added to the descriptive 
slang of the loafing classes of Melbourne. 
Vagrants are now denominated SCALA- 
WAGS. 

1877. North Am. Rev., July, 5. 
[The carpet-baggers] combining with a 
few SCALAWAGS and some leading Negroes 
to serve as decoys for the rest . . . became 
the strongest body of thieves that ever 
pillaged a people. 

1884. Chambers' s Journal, i March, 
139, i. [Colorado man loquitur.} We are 
here to discuss the existence of thieves and 
SCALLAWAGS amongst us. 

1 80.1. Century Diet., s.v. SCALAWAG. 
Used in the Southern States, during the 
Reconstruction period (1865-76) in an 
almost specific sense, being opprobriously 
applied by the opponents of the Repub- 
lican party to native Southerners who 
acted with that party, as distinguished 
from Carpet-bagger, a Republican of 
Northern origin. 

SCALD, verb, (venery). (i) To 
infect ; and (2) to wax amorous. 
SCALDER = a clap (GROSE). As 
adj. (i) infected, and (2) con- 
temptible ; scoundrel. CUPID'S 
SCALDING-HOUSE = a brothel. 

1563-4. New Custom [NARES]. Like 
lettuce like lips, a scab'd horse for a SCALD 
squire. 

1592. NASH, Piers Penniless [HALLI- 
WELL]. Other news I am advertised of 
that a SCALD, trivial, lying pamphlet is 
given out to be of my doing. 

1599. MIDDLETON, Old Law, iii. 2. 
My three court codlings that look par- 
boil'd, As if they came from CUPID'S 
SCALDING HOUSE. 

1599. SHAKSPEARE, Hen. V., v. i, 
31, Will you be so good, SCAULD knave, 
as eat it? Ibid. (1609), Timon of 
Athens, ii. 2. She's even setting on water 
to SCALD such chickens as you are. 



1647-8. HEKRICK, Hesperides, ' To 
Blanch.' Blanch swears her husband's 
lovely, when a SCALD Has blear'd his eyes. 

1678. COTTON, Virgil Travestie 
[ Works (1725), 63. For that which stabb'd 
her was his Weapon, For which she did so 
SCALD and burn, That none but he could 
serve her turn. 

SCALD A BAN co, subs, (old collo- 
quial). See quots. 

1598. FLORIO, Worlde of Wordes, 
s.v. SCALD ABANCO, one that keepes a seate 
warme, but ironically spoken of idle 
lectures that possesse a pewe in the 
schooles or pulpet in churches, and baffle 
out they know not what ; also a hot-headed 
puritane. 

1692. RACKET, Williams, ii. 182. 
The Presbyterians, those SCALDA-BANCOS, 
or hot declaimers, had wrought a great 
distast in the Commons at the king. 

SCALDER, subs, (common). See 
quot., and SCALD. 

1892. SYDNEY WATSON, Wops the 
Waif, iv. I'm good at a hoperation, I can 
tell yer, when it's on spot and SCALDER 
(which being interpreted, meant cake and 
tea). 

SCALDINGS ! intj. (Winchester). 
Be gone ! ' Be off ! ' Also a 
general warning, ' Look out !' 

1748. SMOLLETT, Roderick Random, 
xxv. The boy . . . returned with it full 
of boiled peas, crying, ' SCALDINGS,' all 
the way. 

SCALD-RAG, subs. phr. (old). A 
dyer. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works, n. 165. As 
much impeachment as to cal a justice of 
the peace, a beadle ; a dyer, a SCALD- 
RAGGE ; or a fishmonger, a seller of 
gubbins. 

SCALDRUM-DODGE, subs. phr. 
(tramps'). See quot. and FOX- 
BITE ; SCALDRUM = a beggar. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Lond. Lab., i. 
262. By these Peter was initiated into the 
SCALDRUM-DODGE, or the art of burning 
the body with a mixture of acids and 
gunpowder, so as to suit the hues and 
complexions of the accident to be deplored. 



Scale. 



109 



Scamp. 



SCALE, verb, (venery). To MOUNT 
(g.v.) : see GREENS and RIDE. 

1607. W[ENTWORTH] S[MITH], Puri- 
tan, i. i. I, whom never man as yet hath 
SCALED. 

SCALES. See SHADSCALES. 

SCALLOPS, subs, (old). An awk- 
ward girl (HALLIWELL). 

SCALP, verb. (American). To sell 
under price ; to share commission 
or discount : e.g., TO SCALP 
STOCK = to sell stock regardless 
of value ; TICKET-SCALPING = 
the sale of unused railway tickets, 
or tickets bought in quantities as 
a speculation, at a cheaper than 
the official rate; TICKET-SCALPER 
= a ticket broker. 

1882. Nation, 5 Oct., 276. With the 
eternal quarrel between railroads and 
SCALPERS, passengers have nothing to do. 

1892. Pall Mall Gaz., i Nov., 2, T. 
TICKET-SCALPING ... has _ reference to 
the transferability or otherwise of tickets 
rather than to their date of expiry. 

1894. Standard, 3 May, 7, i. These 
huge grouped tenderings on a preconcerted 
plan . . . when successful merely repre- 
sent a SCALPING of the Stock at the 
expense of the genuine investor. 

2. (American party-politician's). 
(a) To ostracise for rebellion, 
and (b) to ruin one's influence. 

SCALY, adj. (common). Shabby ; 
mean ; FISHY (q.v.}. GROSE. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. iii. 
If you are too SCALY to tip for it, I'll shell 
out, and shame you. 

1843. DICKENS, Martin Chuzzlewit, 
xxviii. Don't you remember hold mother 
Todgers's ? . . . a reg'lar SCALY old shop, 
warn't it? 

1848. LOWELL, Big-low Papers, i. 99. 
The SCALIEST trick they ever played wuz 
bringin' on me hither. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., \. 
85. They find the ladies their hardest of 
SCALIEST customers. 



1880. J. B. STEPHENS, Poems, ' To 
a Black Gin.' Methinks that theory is 
rather SCALY. 

1883. PAYN, Thicker than Water, 
xlv. Do you mean to say he never gave 
you nothing ? . . . SCALY varmint ! 

SCALY- FISH, subs. phr. (nautical). 
'A honest, rough, blunt sailor' 
(GROSE). 

SCAMANDER, verb, (common). To 
LOAF (q.V.). 

SCAMMERED, adj. (common). 
Drunk: see SCREWED. 

1891. CAREW, Auto, of a Gipsy, 435. 
He'll think he was SCAMMERED over night. 

SCAMP, subs. (Old Cant). i. A 
highway robber (also SCAMPS- 
MAN) ; and (2) highway robbery 
(also SCAMPERY). Whence as 
verb to rob on the highway ; 
ROYAL-SCAMP = ' a highwayman 
who robs civilly' ; ROYAL-FOOT- 
SCAMP = ' a footpad behaving in 
like manner' ; DONE FOR A 
SCAMP = convicted (GROSE, PAR- 
KER, VAUX). See quot. 1823. 

1754. Disc, of John Poulter, 42. 
I'll SCAMP on the panney. 

1781. MESSINK, Choice of Harlequin. 
' Ye SCAMPS, ye pads, ye divers.' 

1823. BEE, Diet. Turf, s.v. SCAMP 
. . . Beggars who would turn their hands 
to any thing occasionally, without enquir- 
ing in whom the thing is vested, are said 

tO GO UPON THE SCAMP. Fellows who 

pilfer in markets, from stalls or orchards, 
who snatch off hats, cheat publicans out of 
liquor, or toss up cheatingly commit 
SCAMPING tricks. 

.1824. EGAN, Boxiana, iii. 622. And 
from the start the SCAMPS are cropp'd at 
home. 

1830. MONCRIEFF, Heart of London, 
ii. i. Cracksmen, . . . SCAMPSMEN, we; 
fol de rol, &c. 

1834. AINSWORTH, Rook-wood, 'The 
Game of High Toby.' Forth to the heath 
is the SCAMPSMAN gone. Ibid., in. 5. A 
rank SCAMP, cried the upright man. 



Scamp. 



I 10 



Scape. 



1842. EGAN, Captain Macheath, v. 
A SCAMPSMAN, you know, must always be 
bold. 

3. (common). A rogue ; an 
arrant rascal ; sometimes (collo- 
quial) in jest. Hence SCAMPISH 
= roguish, tricky ; SCAMPERY = 
roguery. 

.1835. DANA, Before the Mast, 84. 
Among the Mexicans . . . every rich man 
looks like a grandee, and every poor 
SCAMP like a broken-down gentleman. 

1849-50. THACKERAY, Pendennis, 
xiii. The impudent bog-trotting SCAMP. 

1854. WHYTE-MELVILLE, General 
Bounce, ii. Tom Blacke was a SCAMP of 
the first water. 

rf.iSsg. DE QUINCEY, Works, u. 43. 
He has done the SCAMP too much honour. 
Ibid., Spanish Nun, 23. The alcaide 
personally renewed his regrets for the 
ridiculous scene of the two SCAMPISH 
occulists. 

1879. PAYN, High Spirits (Finding 
his Leztel). Vulgar dukes or SCAMPISH 
lords. 

1883. Graphic, 24 Feb., 199, 3. 
All the SCAMPERY of Liverpool seems to be 
present. 

1902. D. Mail, 14 Jan., 6, 3. Of all 
the SCAMPISH SCAMPS unhung this speci- 
men of perverted culture beats all. 

Verb, (common). 2. To do 
carelessly and ill ; to give bad 
work or short measure. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., m. 
240. SCAMPING adds at least 200 per 
cent, to the productions of the cabinet- 
maker's trade. 

1862. London Herald, 27 Dec., 
'Answers to Corresp.' Find out, if it is 
an estate where any SCAMPING is allowed 
to create heavy ground rents. 

1881. PAYN, Grape from a Thorn, 
xlii. The idea of SCAMPING her work . . . 
had no existence for her. 

1883. TROLLOPE, Autobiog., \. 164. 
It is not on my conscience that I have ever 
SCAMPED my work. My novels, whether 
good or bad, have been as good as I could 
make them. 

1886. D. Telegraph, i Jan. The 
work is as often . . . SCAMPED as it is 
well done. 



SCAMPER, verb, (old: B. E., 
<:. 1696). 'To run away, or 
Scowre off, either from Justice, 
as Thieves, Debtors, Criminals, 
that are pursued ; or from ill 
fortune, as Soldiers that are 
repulst or worsted.' 

SCANDAL- BROTH (CHATTER, or 
WATER), subs. phr. (common). 
Tea; CAT-LAP (<?.v.). GROSE. 

SCANDALOUS, subs. (old). 'A 
Periwig.' B. E. (^.1696). 

SCANDAL- PROOF (old). i. 'A 
thorough pac'd Alsatian, or 
Minter, one harden'd or past 
Shame,' B. E. (^.1696); and (2) 
' one who has eaten shame and 
drank after it, or would blush at 
being ashamed,' GROSE (1785). 

SCAN MAG, subs, (common). 
Scandalous jobber ; pettifogging 
slander ; talk. [Short and de- 
risive for Scandalum inagnatum.~\ 

1883. G. A. S[ALA] [Illustr. London 
News, 31 March, 310, 3]. The audience 
have to listen to the bucolic drolleries of 
his groom, Saul Mash, and the provincial 
SCANMAG of the notabilities of the little 
country town. Ibid. (1861), Twice Round 
the Clock, One p.m., Par. 2. The swarms 
of flies . . . inebriating themselves with 
saccharine suction in the grocers' shops, 
and noisily buzzing their SCANMAG in 
private parlours. 

SCANT-OF-GRACE, subs, (colloquial). 
A scapegrace. 

1821. SCOTT, Kenilworth, iii. You 
associate yourself with a sort of SCANT-OF- 
GRACE. 

SCAPE, subs, (old). i. A cheat. 

1599. HALL, Satires. Was there no 
'plaining of the brewer's SCAPE, Nor 
greedy vintner mixed the strained grape. 

^.1634. CHAPMAN, Horn, Hymn to 
Apollo. Crafty mate What other SCAPE 
canst thou excogitate? 



Scape-gallows. 1 1 1 Scarborough-warning. 



2. (old). A fart. 

1611. COTGRAVE, Did., s.v. Pet. A 
SCAPE, tayle-shot, or cracke. 

1598. FLORIO, Worlde of Worries, 
s. v. Pettare. To let a SCAPE or a fart. 

3. (old). An act, or effect, of 
fornication. 

1594. SHAKSPEARE, Lucrese, 749. 
Day . . . night's SCAPES doth open lay. 
Ibid, (1604), Winter's Tale, in. 3, 73. 
Sure some SCAPE ... I can read waiting- 
gentlewoman in the SCAPE. 



Verb, (artists'). ' To 
one's brush ' (BEE). 



neglect 



SCAPE-GALLOWS, subs. phr. (old). 
One who deserves but has 
escaped the gallows (GROSE). 

1839. DICKENS, Nick. Nickleby, 
xliv. Remember this SCAPE-GALLOWS . . . 
if we meet again . . . you shall see the 
inside of a gaol once more. 

SCAPE-GRACE (or -THRIFT), subs, 
phr. (old). A good-for-nothing ; 
a ne'er-do-well (GROSE). 

1577-87. HOLINSHED, Hist. Scot., 
an. 1427. For shortlie vpon his deliuer- 
ance, he gathered a power of wicked 
SCAPE-THRIFTS, and with the same 
comming into Inuernes, burnt the towne. 

1862. THACKERAY, Philip, ii. I 
could not always be present to guard the 

little SCAPE GRACE. 

1885. D. Telegraph, 29 Sept. The 
SCAPE-GRACES and ne'er-do-wells you 
considered dead a generation since. 

SCARAMOUCH, subs. (old). i. A 
buffoon ; whence (2) = a disre- 
putable rascal. [STANFORD : It. 
Scaramuccia, the braggart buffoon 
of Italian comedy.] 

1662. DAVIES, Ambass. Trav. (1669), 
vi. 283. Countenances and Postures, 
as SCARAMUZZA himself would be much 
troubled to imitate. 

1673. WYCHERLEY, Gentleman 
Dancing Master, iii. i. Ah, le brave 

SCARAMOUCHE ! 

1673. DRYDEN, Epilogue to Univ., 
Oxford, 15 (Globe Ed., p. 422). Stout 
SCARAMOUCHA with rush lance rode in, 
And run a tilt at centaur Arlequin. 



1707. WARD, Hud. Rediv., n. v. 5. 
Dress'd up in Black, like SCARAMOUCHES. 

. 1711. Spectator, No. 83. The third 
artist that I looked over was Fantasque 
dressed like a Venetian SCARAMOUCH. 

c.i 720. Broadside Ballad, 'The Mas- 
querade' [FARMER, Merry Songs and 
Ballads (i^gj\ iii. 233]. A SCARAMOUCH 
is nimble, Tho' lazy he appears. 

1716. WILKINS, Polit. Bal. (1860), 
n. 175. The SACRAMOUCHES everywhere, 
With open throats bawled out. 

1725. BAILEY, Coll. Eras., ' Penitent 
Virgin.' O these SCARAMOUCHES, how 
they know to wheedle the poor people ! 

1824. IRVING, Tales of a Trav. 

9), 322. He swore no SCARAMOUCH of 
an Italian robber would dare to meddle 
with an Englishman. 

2. (showmen's). A puppet. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., in.. 
60. This here's the SCARAMOUCH that 
dances without a head. 



SCARBOROUGH - WARNING (LEI- 

SURE, SCRABBLING), &C., subs. 
phr. (old). See quots. 

1546. HEYWOOD, Proverbs [OLI- 
PHANT, New Eng:, i. 504. SCARBOROUGH 
WARNING (the blow before the word) is 
found in page 76]. 

1557. HEYWOOD, Ckd Ballad \_Harl. 
Misc. (PARK), x. 258]. This term, SCAR- 
BOROW WARNING, grew (some say) By 
hasty hanging, for rank robbry theare. 

1580. TUSSER, Husbandry, x. 28, 22 
[E. D. S. ]. Be suretie seldome (but neuer 
for much) for feare of purse penniles hang- 
ing by such ; Or SKARBOROW WARNING, 
as ill I beleeue, when (sir I arest yee) gets 
hold of thy sleeue. 

1582. STANYHURST, j*Enid, iv. 621. 
Al they the lyke poste haste dyd make 

with SCARBORO' SCRABBLING. 

1589. PUTTENHAM, Eng. Poesy, 
B. iii. c. SKARBOROW WARNING, for a 
sodaine commandement, allowing no re- 
spect or delay to bethinke a man of his 
business. 

1591. HARINGTON, Ariosto, xxxiv. 
22. They tooke them to a fort, with such 
small treasure And in so SCARBOROW 
WARNING they had leasure. 



Scarce. 



112 



Scarlet-horse. 



1593. HARVEY, Pierces Supererog. 
[GROSART, Works, ii. 225]. He meaneth 
not to come upon me with a cowardly 
stratageme of SCARBOROUGH WARNING. 

1603. T. MATHEW (Bishop of Dur- 
ham), Letter 19, Jan. [NARES], I received 
a message from my lord chamberlaine, that 
it was his majesty's pleasure that I should 
preach before him upon Sunday next ; 
which SCARBOROUGH WARNING did not 
only perplex me, but so puzzel me. 

1616. Letter [quoted by NARES]. I 
now write upon SCARBOROUGH WARNING. 

1670. RAY, Proverbs, 263. This 
proverb took its original from Thomas 
Stafford, who in the reign of Queen Mary, 
T 557> with a small company seizd on 
SCARBOROUGH Castle (utterly destitute of 
provision for resistance) before the towns- 
men had the least notice of his approach. 
[This is taken from FULLER'S Worthies : 
cf. STAFFORD LAW and see quots. 1546 
and 1557 which show the phrase in earlier 
use.] 

1787. GROSE, Prov. Glossary (1811), 
94. A SCARBOROUGH WARNING. That is, 
none at all, but a sudden surprise. 

1843. HALLIWELL, Archaic Words, 
&c., s.v. SCARBOROUGH . . . SCAR- 
BOROUGH LEISURE, no leisure at all. 

SCARCE. To MAKE ONE'S SELF 
SCARCE, verb. pkr. (colloquial). 
To retire (GROSE). 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 374. It was my fixed purpose to 

MAKE MYSELF SCARCE at Seville. 

1812. MARGRAVINE OF ANSPACH 
[C. K. SHARPE'S Correspondence (1888), ii. 

20]. I shall MAKE MYSELF VERY, VERY 

SCARCE, and live only for myself. 

1821. SCOTT, Kenilworth, iv. MAKE 
YOURSELF SCARCE depart vanish 1 

1836. M. SCOTT, Cruise of Midge, 
114. My fine fellow, you are a little off 
your cruising ground, so be MAKING 
YOURSELF SCARCE Bolt vanish get on 
deck with you. 

1840. BARHAM, Ingolds. Leg. {Lay 
of St. Odille). Come, MAKE YOURSELVES 
SCARCE ! it is useless to stay. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Lond. Lab., r. 
265. I had warned her to MAKE HERSELF 
SCARCE at her earliest possible convenience. 

1891. Lie. Viet. Gaz., 16 Jan. Now, 
bobbies, MAKE YOURSELVES SCARCE . . . 
you know this is a gentleman's private 
apartment, and you're trespassers. 



SCARE. To SCARE UP, verb. phr. 
(colloquial). To find ; to dis- 
cover : e.g., 'TO SCARE UP 
money.' 

SCARECROW, subs, (thieves'). See 
quot. 

1884. GREENWOOD, Little Raga- 
muffins. The SCARECROW is the boy who 
has served him [a thief] until he is well 
known to the police, and is so closely 
watched that he may as well stay at home 
as go out. 

SCARE HEAD, subs, (journalists'). 
A line in bold type calculated to 
arrest attention. 

1900. WHITE, West End, 339. One 
of our calm days, unbroken by SCARE- 
HEADS in the newspapers, or by the 
croakings of nervous critics. 

SCARLET. To ; DYE SCARLET, verb, 
phr. (old). See quot. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, / Hen. IV., ii. 
4. They call drinking deep, DYEING 

SCARLET. 

To WEAR SCARLET, verb. pkr. 
(old). I. To win the higher Uni- 
versity degrees; (2) to attain 
sheriff or aldermanic rank. 
[Which were scarlet-robed.] 

1610. JONSON, Alchemist, i. i. This 
summer he will be of the clothing of his 
company, and next spring CALLED TO THE 
SCARLET. 

1613. WEBSTER, Devils Law-Case, 
ii. 3. Your patience has not ta'en the 
right degree OF WEARING SCARLET ; I 
should rather take you For a bachelor in 
the art, than for a doctor. 

SCARLET-FEVER, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). Flirtation with soldiers: 
Fr. culotte- (or pantalon-) rouge : 
cf. YELLOW-FEVER. 

1862. MAYHEW, Lon. Lab., iv. 235. 
Nurse-maids . . . are always ready to 
succumb to the SCARLET-FEVER. A red 
coat is all powerful with this class. 

SCARLET-HORSE, subs. pkr. (old). 
See quot. 

1785. GROSE, Vul%. Tongue, s.v. 
SCARLET HORSE. A high-red, hired or 
hack horse : a pun on the word. 



Scarlet Lancers. 113 Scavengers-daughter. 



SCARLET LANCERS 

RED LANCERS. 



(THE). See 



SCARLET-RUNNER, subs. phr. (old). 
i. A Bow-street officer ; a 
ROBIN-REDBREAST (q.v.). [They 
wore scarlet waistcoats.] 

2. (common). A footman. 

SCARLET-TOWN, subs. phr. (pro- 
vincial). Reading [Berks.] 

SCARLET- wo MAN, subs. phr. (re- 
ligious). The Church of Rome. 

SCARPER, verb, (showmen's). To 
run away : see SKEDADDLE. 

1844. SELBV, London by Night, ii. i. 
Vamoose SCARPER fly ! 

SCAT, verb, (common). Begone! 

1880. HARRIS, Uncle Remus, xxii. 
Wen ole man Rabbit say 'scoot,' dey 
scooted, en w'en ole Miss Rabbit say 
1 SCAT,' dey SCATTED. 

1892. Nat. Observer, 20 Aug., 356, 
i. There is a village somewhere West of 
Devonshire whose inhabitants are univer- 
sally called ' SCAT-UPS.' For . . . 

once at a volunteer review they could be 
induced to ' dismiss ' only by an im- 
passioned cry of 'SCAT UP !' 

1896. LILLARD, Poker Stories, 210. 
We chucked him two watches and 380 
dollars in cash quicker 'n SCAT. 

SCATE, subs, (provincial). A light- 
heels (HALLIWELL). 

Verb, (provincial). To be loose 
in the bowels (HALLIWELL). 

SCATTERATION, subs. (American). 
A commotion ; a dispersal. 
Hence SCATTERATIONIST a 
politician running his personal 
fads without reference to either 
party or public. 

1878. N. A. Rev., cxxvi. 244. Some 
well-directed shots . . . sent wagons flying 
in the air, and produced a SCATTERATION, 



t888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arnis, xiii. I did see one explode at a 
review in Melbourne and, my word ! 
what a SCATTERATION it made. 

SCATTERBRAIN, jfo. (colloquial). 
An unreasoning ass; SCATTER- 
BRAINED = giddy. 

1849. KINGSLEY, Alton Locke, xii. 
A certain SCATTER-BRAINED Irish lad. 

1857. HUGHES, Tom Browns School- 
days, i. ii. A ... tearful SCATTER- 
BRAINED girl. 

^.1884. C. READE, Art, 23. Poor 
Alexander, he is a fool, a SCATTERBRAIN 
. . . but he is my son. 

SCATTERGOOD, Sllbs. (old). A 

spendthrift. 

1577. KENDALL, Epigrammes, 56. 
A mery jest of a SCATTERGOOD. 

1655. SANDERS, Physiognomic. 
Which intimates a man to act the con- 
sumption of his own fortunes, to be a 
SCATTER-GOOD ; if of honey colour or red, 
he is a drunkard and a glutton. 

SCATTER-GUN, subs. phr. (Ameri- 
can). A shot-gun. 

SCATTER LING, subs, (old collo- 
quial). A vagabond. 

^.1599. SPENSER, State of Ireland 
[Century], Many of them be such losells 
and SCATTERLINGS as that they cannot 
easely ... be gotten. 

SCAVENGER'S- DAUGHTER, subs, 
phr. (old). An instrument of 
torture invented by Sir W. 
Skevington, Lieutenant of the 
Tower of London, temp. Hen. 
VIII. : see quot. 1889. 

1580. Dia. Rerum gestarum in 
Turri Londiniensi, 10 Dec. Thomas 
Cotamus et Lucas Kirbaeus presbyteri, 
SCAVINGERI FILIAM ad unam horum et 
amplius passi ; ex quo prior copiosum 
sanguinem e naribus emisit. 

1604. Commons Journal, 14 May. 
[The Committee] found in Little Ease in 
the Tower an engine of torture . . . called 
SKEVINGTON 's DAUGHTERS. 

1840. Aiusvf OR-TH, Tower of Lonaon, 
xxiii. We will wed you to the SCAVEN- 
GER'S DAUGHTER, my little man. 

H 



Scew. 



114 



School. 



1889. Answers, 9 Feb. The SCAVEN- 
GER'S DAUGHTER was a broad hoop of iron, 
consisting of two parts, fastened by a 
hinge. The prisoner knelt on the pave- 
ment, and the executioner having intro- 
duced the hoop under his legs, compressed 
the victim, till he was able to fasten the 
extremities over the small of the back. 
The time allotted was an hour and a half, 
it commonly happened that the blood 
started from the nostrils ; sometimes, it 
was believed, from the extremities of the 
hands and feet. 

SCEW. See SKEW. 

SCELLUM, subs. (Old Cant). A 
thief: cf. SKELLUM. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works, ii. 123. None 
holds him, but all cry, Lope, SCELLUM, 
lopel 

SCENE, subs, (colloquial). An ex- 
hibition of feeling or temper. 

1847. BRONTE, Jane Eyre, xxvii. 
You have no desire to expostulate, to up- 
braid, to make a SCENE. 

1862. THACKERAY, Philip, xxvii. 
Hush ! hush ! . . . she must be kept 
quiet . . . There must be no more SCENES, 
my fine fellow. 

BEHIND THE SCENES, phr. 
(colloquial). Having access to 
information not open to the 
general public ; in the KNOW 



SCENE-RAT, subs. phr. (theatrical). 
An "extra" in ballet or 
pantomime. 

SCEPTRE, subs, (venery). The 
penis: see PRICK. Also CYPRIAN 
SCEPTRE. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, \. xi. 
One of them would call it her fiddle- 
diddle, her staff of love . . . her CYPRIAN 
SCEPTRE. 

1772. BRIDGES, Burlesque Homer, 

S. Now night came on, The thund'rer led 
is helpmate to her wicker bed ; There 
they agreed, and where's the wonder, His 
SCEPTRE rais'd she soon knock'd under. 

SCHEME, subs. (Winchester). See 
quot. MANSFIELD (^1840). 



1891. WRENCH, Word Book, s.v. 
SCHEME . . . The candle on reaching a 
measured point ignites paper, which by 
burning a string releases a weight ; this 
falls on the head of the boy to be waked. 

SCHISM-SHOP, subs. phr. (old). 
A dissenting meeting-house ; 
SCHISM-MONGER = a dissenting 
parson (GROSE) : amongst Catho- 
lics any Protestant church or 
chapel. 

1840. HALIBURTON, Clockmaker, 
38., iv. "Stickin' a subscription paper 
into a very strait-laced man, even for 
building a SCHISM-SHOP for his own folks, 
is like stickin' a needle behind an ox's ear, 
it kills him dead on the spot." 

1852. SHIRLEY BROOKS, Miss Violet 
and her Offers, vi. "The tenants-at-will 

who vote for church candidates ." 

" By the tenants-at-won't, who go in for 
the SCHISM-SHOP " dashed in the smart 
barrister. 

SCHITT, subs. (Winchester). A 
goal : at football : see GOWNER. 
[WRENCH : This was the word 
in general use till 1860, when it 
was superseded by 'goal.'] 

SCH LIVER, subs. (old). A clasp- 
knife (BEE). 

SCHOL, subs. (Harrow). I. A 
scholar ; and (2) a scholarship. 

SCHOOL, subs. (old). 'A party of 
persons met together for the 
purpose of gambling ' (GROSE, 
VAUX). Also (modem) any small 
band of associates, as thieves or 
beggars working together, a set 
of passengers travelling regularly 
by the same train, &c. Hence 
SCHOOLMAN = a companion, a 
mate. 
1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., i. 

234. Some classes of patterers, I may 

here observe, work in SCHOOLS or ' mobs ' 

of two, three, or four. 

1866. London Miscellany, 3 Mar., 
57. We don't want no one took in that's 
on the square. The governor's promised 
tbe SCHOOL as strangers sbant use the 
bouse, 



Schooling. 



Scoff. 



SCHOOLING, subs, (thieves'). A 
term of confinement in a re- 
formatory. 

1879. Auto, of Thief [Macm. Mag., 
xl., 501]. She is young just come from a 

SCHOOLING. 

2. (thieves'). See quot. 

1888. Globe, 25 Mar. A batch of 
these grimy ones being brought up the 
other day for playing pitch and toss in 
the local vernacular, SCHOOLING in a 
public place, their counsel argued that 
they were driven to it by destitution. 

SCHOOL- BUTTER, suds. phr. (old). 
A flogging (B. E., GROSE). 

SCHOOLMASTER, i. See BILK. 

2. (racing). A horse good at 
jumping : generally ridden with 
one in training. 

SCHOOL OF VENUS, suits, phr. 
(old). A brothel : see NANNY- 
HOUSE (B. E., GROSE). 

SCHOOL-STREET, siibs. phr. (old 
University : Oxon.). The Uni- 
versity. 

SCHOONER, subs. (American). A 
tall glass : containing twice the 
quantity of an ordinary tumbler : 
THREE-MASTED SCHOONER = a 

SCHOONER of extra size. 

1888. Texas Sif tings, 30 June. 
Thanks, old hoss fly, what do you say to 
taking a SCHOONER of beer at my expense? 

1889. D. Telegraph, 8 Feb. There 
is a coloured man at Derby who can 
swallow two quarts of molasses with as 
much ease as a Whyo can drink a 
SCHOONER of beer, and in about the same 
time. 

See PRAIRIE SCHOONER. 

SCHWASSLE-BOX. See SWATCHEL- 
COVE. 



(literary). Gutting a book. 



SCISSORS. To GIVE ONE SCIS- 
SORS, verb. phr. (common). To 
pay out ; to CUT UP (q.v.\ Also 
SCISSORS ! = an exclamation of 
disgust or impatience. 

1 843. SELBY, A ntony and Cleopatra. 
Oh, SCISSORS; insinuate that it takes nine 
of us to make a man ! 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life, 64. I 
grabbed his slick har, and may be I didn't 

GIN HIM SCISSORS. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 33. 
Oh, SCISSORS ! jest didn't we give 'em 
tantivy. 

SCISSORS- AND- PASTE, subs. phr. 
(literary). Compilation : as dis- 
tinguished from original work. 
Fr. travailler a coups de ciseatix 
= to compile. 

SCOB, s^tbs. (Winchester College). 
' An oak box with a double 
lid, set at the angles of the 
squares of wooden benches in 
school : used as desk and book- 
case. [Probably the word has 
been transferred from the bench 
itself, and comes from Fr. 
escabeau y Lat. scabelhim.y 
WRENCH. 

1620. Account [to J. Hutton at his 
entrance into the College]. For a SCOBB 
to hold his books, 35. 6d. 

1890. G. ALLEN, Tents of Shem, 
xlii. Parker's SCOB was 270. 

SCOFF (or SCORF), verb, (nautical). 

I. To eat : also as subs. 

food. \Cf. Scots' scaff food of 

any kind.] 

1893. FLYNT, Tramping with 

Tramps, n. iii. SCOFF'S always more 

plenty than money. 

1901. WALKER, In the Blood, iv 

'Those birds kill snakes do they?' . . . 

' Rather . . . They goes down themselves 

and SCOFFS them.' 

2. (American). To run away; 

TO SKEDADDLE (q.V.) : also TO 

SCOFF (or SCUFF) AWAY, 



Scoffer. 



116 



Sconce. 



SCOFFER, subs, (thieves'). Plate. 

1891. CAREW, Auto, of a Gipsy, 416. 
I gets clean off with the SCAWFER. 

SCOLD RUM. See SCALDRUM. 

SCHOLLARD, subs, (vulgar). A 
scholar. 

1708-10. SWIFT, Polite Conversa- 
tions, Intro. Happily sings the Divine 
Mr. Tibbald's ... I am no SCHOLLARD ; 
but I am polite : Therefore be sure I am 
no Jacobite. 

SCOLOPENDRA, Subs. (old). A 

harlot : *".*., a ramping thing with 
a sting in its tail : see TART 

(HALLIWELL). 

.1660. DAVENANT, The Siege, v. x. 
Go, bring a barrel hither! Why? when 

yOU SCOLOPENDRA. 

SCOLD'S CURE, subs. phr. (old). 
A coffin : ' the blowen has napped 
the SCOLD'S CURE ; the wench is 
in her coffin ' (GROSE). 

SCONCE, subs. (old). I. The head 
(GROSE, HALLIWELL = ' Old 
Cant'); whence (2) sense, judg- 
ment, brains. 

1567. Damon and Pit Mas [DoD- 
SLEY, Old Plays, iv.]. 

1593. HARVEY, New Letter [GRO- 
SART, Wks. , i. 283]. That can play vpon 
his warped SCONCE, as vpon a tabor, or a 
fiddle. 

1598. FLORID, Worlde of Wordes, 
82. A head, a pate, a nole, a SCONCE. 

1602. SHAKESPEARE, Hamlet, v. i. 
Why does he suffer this rude knave now 
to knock him about the SCONCE with a 
dirty shovel? 

1611. BARRY, Ram Alley, xii. 436. 
I say no more, But 'tis within this SCONCE 
to go beyond them. 

1642. DR. H. MORE, Psychodia, iii. 
13. Which their dull SCONCES cannot 
eas'ly reach. 

1655. FANSHAWE, Lusiad, viii. 51. 
Th' infused poyson working in his SCONCE. 

1664. COTTON, Scoffer Scofft [ Works 
(1725), 179]. I go, and if I find him once, 
With my Battoon I'll bang his SCONCE. 



1771. SMOLLETT, Humphry Clinker, 
Ixiii. And, running into the house, ex- 
posed his back and his SCONCE to the 
whole family. 

1840. THACKERAY, Paris Sketch 
Book, no. At last Fips hits the West 
Indian such a blow across his SCONCE, 
that the other grew furious. 

1856. R BURTON, El-Medinah, 357. 
Though we might take advantage of shade 
... we must by no means cover our 

SCONCES. 

1895. MARRIOTT- WATSON [New Re- 
view, July, 7]. I've a mind to open that 
ugly SCONCE of yours. 

2. (old : now University). A 
fine ; a score. Hence TO BUILD 

A SCONCE (or TO SCONCE) = (i) 

to run up a score : spec, with no 
intention of paying ; (2) to be 
mulcted in fines; and (3) TO 
SCONCE also = to pay out, to 
chastise (B. E., DYCHE, GROSE, 
BEE, HOTTEN). 

1630. RANDOLPH, Aristippus [HAZ- 
LITT, Works (1875), 14. 'Twere charity 
in him TO SCONCE 'em soundly. 

1632. SHIRLEY, Witty Fair One, iv. 
3. I have had a head in most of the 
butteries of Cambridge, and it has been 
SCONCED to purpose. 

.1640. [SHIRLEY], Capt. Underwit 
[BULLEN, Old Plays, ii. 323]. I can 
teach you to build a SCONCE, Sir. 

^.1704. T. BROWN, Works, ii. 282. I 
never parted with any of my favours, nay, 
not ... a clap gratis, except a lieutenant 
and ensign . . . once . . . BUILT UP A 
SCONCE, and left me in the lurch. 

1730. MILLER, Humours ofOxfora, 
\. I understand more manners than to 
leave my friends to go to church no, 
though they SCONCE me a fortnight's 
commons, I'll not do it. 

1760. JOHNSTON, Chrysal., xxviii. 
These youths have been playing a small 
game, cribbing from the till, and BUILDING 
SCONCES, and such like tricks. 

1764. COLMAN, Terrce Filius, No. 
i. Any SCONCE imposed by the proctors. 

1768. FOOTE, Devil on Two Sticks, 
ii. i. She paid my bill the next day 
without SCONCING off sixpence. 



Sconick. 



117 



Scoot. 



1821. The Etonian, ii. 391. Was 
SCONCED in a quart of ale for quoting 
Latin, a passage front Juvenal ; murmured, 
fine was i 



and the 



; doubled. 



1883. ELLACOMBE [N. &* Q., 6 S., 
viii. 326]. Men were SCONCED if acci- 
dentally they appeared in hall undressed. 
I think the SCONCE was a quantity of beer 
to the scouts. The scoNCE-table was hung 
up in the buttery. 

1899. Answers, 14 Jan., i. i. The 
average freshman is not very long at 
Oxford before he is acquainted with the 
mysteries of SCONCING. A SCONCE is a fine 
of a quart of ale, in which th^ unlucky 
fresher is mulcted for various offences in 
Hall. 

Verb, (common). 4. To re- 
duce ; to discontinue : e.g. , TO 
SCONCE ONE'S DIET = to BANT 

(<?.V.) : TO SCONCE THE REC- 
KONING = to reduce expenses. 

5. (Winchester). To hinder; 
to get in the way : as of a kick at 
football, a catch at cricket, &c. : 
e.g.) "If you had not SCONCED, 
I should have made a flyer." 

1899. Pub. School Mag., Dec., 476. 
Opponents who get in each others way 
and SCONCE the kicks. 

SCONICK, verb. (American). To 
hurry about ; to SHIN ABOUT 

(<?.V.): also TO SCON IGK ROUND. 

1833. NEAL, Down Rasters, yii. 108. 
I could see plain enough which side you 
was on, without SKONICKIN' round arter 
you much further. 

SCOOP, subs. (American). i. A 
big haul ; an advantage : spec, 
(journalists') news secured in ad- 
vance of a rival, a series of BEATS 
(q.v.). Also (2) on 'Change, a 
sudden breaking down of prices, 
enabling operators to buy cheaply, 
followed by a rise. As verb. 
(i) to make a big haul : and (2) 
to get the better of a rival. 

1882. McCABE, New York, 160. 
He runs seventy 'busses on this line, and 
SCOOPS IN three 'r four hundred a day. 



1888. Detroit Free Press, 22 Sep. 
Mr. Terada, the editor, is in jail for four- 
teen months for getting a SCOOP on the 
government. 

1889. Referee, 6 Jan. He is SCOOP- 
ING IN the shekels. 

1890. Answers, 25 Dec. Last night 
he slept in his bed when we walked the 
streets ... To think that he should 
SCOOP us ! 

1896. LILLAKD Poker Stories, 26. 
As a rule he SCOOPED the pot. 

3. (common). To fetch, to fit. 

1888. Sporting Life, 7 Dec. It 
would better SCOOP the situation if it were 
described as 'goloptious." 

Verb, (whalers'). I. See quot. 

1891. Century Mag., s.v. SCOOP- 
ING. The right [whalebone] whale gets 
into a patch of food or brit (resembling 
sawdust on the surface of the water) . . . 
goes through it with only the head out 
and mouth open. As soon as a mouthful 
of water is obtained the whale closes its 
lips, ejects the water, the feed being left in 
the mouth and throat [Sailors' slang]. 

ON THE SCOOP, phr. (com- 
mon). On the drink, or a round 
of dissipation. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Any Ballads, 47. 
An English milord ON THE SCOOP carn't be 
equalled at blueing a quid. 

SCOOT (SKOOT or SKUTE), verb. 
(common). To move quickly; 
ON THE SCOOT = on the run ; 
SCOOTER = a restless knockabout ; 
SCOOT-TRAIN = an express. 

1838. J. C. NEAL, Charcoal SketcJus 
'Pair of Slippers.' Notwithstanding bis 
convulsive efforts to clutch the icy bricks, 
he SKUTED into the gutter. 

18 [?]. HILL, Yankee Stories [BART- 
LETT]. The fellow sat down on a hornet s 
nest ; and if he didn't run and holler, and 
SCOOT through the briar bushes, and tear 
his trowsers. 

1848. LOWELL, Biglow Papers. An 
send the Ensines SKOOTIN' to the bar-room 
with their banners. 

1858. Atlantic Monthly, Mar. The 
captain he SCOOTED round into one port 
an' another. 



Scorcher. 



118 



Scotch. 



1869. Quart. Rev., cxxvi. 371. The 
laugh of the gull as he SCOOTS along the 
shore. 

1871. Philadelphia Age, Feb. An 
Iowa man, instead of going to the expense 
of a divorce, gave his wife a dollar, and 
told her to SCOOT. 

iSSo. HARRIS, Uncle Remus, xxii. 
Wen ole man Rabbit say ' SCOOT,' dey 
SCOOTED, en w'en ole Miss Rabbit say 
4 scat,' dey scatted. 

1888. Puck's Library, May 18. 
SCOOT DOWN and buy like the devil ! 

1886-96. MARSHALL, He Slumbered 
[' Pomes," 118]. So she SCOOTED from the 
shanty. 

1894. Sketch, 461, i. Once settled 
there, we SCOOTED around for members, 
but there was at that time no subscription. 



SCORCH ER,jwfa. (common). Any- 
body or anything severe, eccen- 
tric, or hasty. Spec. TO SCORCH 
= to ride a bicycle, drive a motor, 
&c., at top speed : whence 
SCORCHING = HOT (q.V.). 

1876. HINDLEY, Cheap Jack, 36. It 
was a very fine hot day a regular 
"SCORCHER." 

1885. HAWLEY SMART, Past to 
Finish, 361. It's a SCORCHER . . . and 
Mr. Elliston not ' weighing-in ' with the 
Caterham money of course makes it 
rather worse for us. 

1889. Corn/till Mag., July, 62. The 
next day was a SCORCHER. 

1890. PENNELL, Cant. Pilgrimage, 
Preface. We were pilgrims, not SCORCH- 
ERS. 

1890. Polytechnic Mag., 13 Mar., 5, 
i. An impromptu SCORCH was started by 
trying to keep behind a really fast cabby to 
obtain shelter from the wind. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 22. 
They're regular SCORCHERS, these women. 

1897. Ally Slater's Half -Holiday, 
Oct. 23, 338, 3. The SCORCHER charges, 
without remorse, At all the people who 
cross his path. 

1897. Referee, Oct. 24, 3, i. A 
said-to-be SCORCHING play entitled "At 
the Foot of the Altar." 



1901. D. Telegraph, 7 Jan., 8, 3. As 
a result of complaints as to the excessive 
speed at which motor-cars are driven . . . 
the police have been keeping a sharp look- 
out for SCORCHERS. 

SCORE, verb, (common). To get 
the better of : also TO SCORE OFF 
ONE. 

SCORF. See SCORF. 

SCORPION -OF-THE- BROW, subs, 
phr. (literary). See quot. (R. 
BURTON). 

1885. BURTON, Thousand Nights, i. 
168. Note 3. In other copies of these 
verses the fourth couplet swears BY THE 
SCORPIONS OF HIS BROW, i.e. the accroche- 
cceurs, the beau-catchers, bell-ropes or 
" aggravators. " 

SCOT, subs. (old). I. A person 
easily vexed ; esp. one given to 
resent company sport ; the diver- 
sion is called GETTING ONE OUT 

(or ROUND THE CORNER). Also 

(2) = temper; a PADDY (q.v.} ; 
Scottish = fiery, easily provoked. 
[GROSE : ' A SCOT is a bullock of 
a particular breed which affords 
superior diversion when hunted ; 
BEE : ' A butcher's term ']. 

SCOTCH, subs, (colloquial). i. 
Scotch whiskey : cf. IRISH. 

1886-96. MARSHALL, He Slumbered 
['Pomes,' 118]. In the early evening 
watches he had started well on SCOTCHES. 

1893. CRACK ANTHORPE, Wreckage, 
125. Mary, two bitters and a small 
SCOTCH to the Commercial Room, and a 
large Irish for Mr. Hays here. 

2. See SCOTCH-PEG. 

PHRASES. SCOTCH-BAIT = ' A 
halt and a resting on a stick as 
practised by pedlars (GROSE) ; 
SCOTCH-CASEMENT = the pillory ; 
SCOTCH - CHOCOLATE = ' brim- 
stone and milk ' (GROSE) ; 
SCOTCH - COFFEE = hot water 



Scotch. 



119 



Scoundrel. 



flavoured with burnt biscuit ; 
SCOTCH-FIDDLE = the itch ; TO 
PLAY THE SCOTCH-FIDDLE = 'to 
work the index finger of one hand 
like a fiddle-stick between the 
index and middle finger of the 
other' (DYCHE, GROSE) ; SCOTCH 
GREYS = lice: hence HEADQUAR- 
TERS OF THE SCOTS' GREYS = a 
lowsy head (GROSE) ; SCOTCH- 
HOBBY = * a little sorry, scrubbed, 
low Horse of that country' 
(B. E.); SCOTCH-MIST = a soak- 
ingrain (B. E., GROSE) ; SCOTCH- 
ORDINARY = ' the house of office' 
(RAY); SCOTCH-PEG = (rhyming) 
a leg : also SCOTCH ; SCOTCH- 
PINT = 'a bottle containing two 
quarts ' (GROSE) ; SCOTCH-PRIZE 
= a capture by mistake (GROSE) : 
cf. DUTCH ; SCOTCH-SEAMAN- 
SHIP = all stupidity and main 
strength; SCOTCH-WARMING-PAN 
= (i) a chambermaid, and (2) a 
fart (q.v RAY, B. E., GROSE); 

TO ANSWER SCOTCH FASHION 

to reply by asking another ques- 
tion ; cf. YANKEE FASHION. 

1675. EARL OF ROCHESTER, Tun- 
bridge Wells, June 30. And then more 
smartly to expound the Riddle Of all his 
Prattle, gives her a SCOTCH FIDDLE. 

1762. London Register [Notes and 
Queries, 38., v. 14.] "THE SCOTCH 
FIDDLE," by M'Pherson. Done from him- 
self. The figure of a Highlander sitting 
under a tree, enjoying the greatest of 
pleasures, scratching where it itches. 

1834. MICHAEL SCOTT, Cruise of 
Midge, 231. What ship is that? This 
was answered SCOTCH FASHION What 
felucca is that? 

1851-61. MAYHEVV, London Lab., i. 
357. But mind, if you handle any of his 
wares, he don't make you a present of a 
SCOTCH FIDDLE for nothing. 

1868. Temple Bar, xxv. 76. The 
SCOTS GREYS were frequently on the 
march in the clothes of the convicts. 

1886. MARSHALL, Pomes, 23. But 
some buds of youthfull purity, with undis- 
played SCOTCH PEGS. Ibid. Giddy (70). 
With that portion of his right SCOTCH PEG 
supposed to be his calf. 



1900. St. J antes s Gazette, 9 Ap. 3, i. 
The superiority of resources on our side is 
so overwhelming that we must win if only 
by what the sailors call SCOTCH SEAMAN- 
SHIP. 

1883. CLARK RUSSELL, Sailor's 
Language, 121. SCOTCHMAN. A piece of 
wood fitted to a shroud or any other stand- 
ing rope to save it from being chafed. 

SCOTCHMAN, subs. (Colonial). A 
florin. 

1886. RIDER HAGGARD, Jess, x. 
Jantje touched his hat, spat upon the 
SCOTCHMAN, as the natives of that part of 
Africa [Transvaal] call a two-shilling piece, 
and pocketed it. [(i) Because once upon 
a time a SCOTCHMAN made a great impres- 
sion on the simple native mind in Natal by 
palming off some thousands of florins 
among them at the nominal value of half- 
a-crown.] 

FLYING SCOTCHMAN, subs, 
phr. (common). The daily 2 p.m. 
express from Euston to Edinburgh 
and the North. Cf. WILD IRISH- 
MAN. 

1885. G. DOLBY, Dickens as I knew 
him, 33. A railway carriage which was 
being dragged along at the rate of fifty 
miles an hour by the FLYING SCOTCHMAN. 

THE SCOTCHMAN HUGGING 
THE CREOLE, phr. (West Indian). 
See quot. 

1835. M. SCOTT, Tom Cringle, xiv. 
The SCOTCHMAN HUGGING THE CREOLE ; 
look at that tree . . . It was a magnificent 
cedar . . . covered over with a curious 
sort of fret-work, wove by the branches of 
some strong parasitical plant . . . 

SCOTS (THE), subs, (military). 
The 1st Batt. Cameronians (Scot- 
tish Rifles), formerly The 26th 
Foot : circa 1762. 

SCOTT. See GREAT SCOTT. 

SCOUNDREL, subs, (old : now recog- 
nised). I. 'A Hedge-bird or 
sorry Scab' (B. E.); (2) 'a man 
void of every principle of honour 
(GROSE). 



Scour. 



120 



Scrag. 



SCOUR, verb. (old). i. To run 
away : also TO SCOUR AWAY (or 
OFF). GROSE. 

2. (venery). To copulate : see 
GREENS and RIDE. 

1656. FLETCHER, Martiall, n. 56. 
She is not wont To take, but give for 
SCOURING of her . 

TO SCOUR THE DARBIES (or 

CRAMP-RINGS), verb. pkr. (Old 
Cant). To go (or lie) in chains 
[HARMAN (1573), HEAD, B. E., 
COLES, GROSE]. 

1608. DEKKER, The Beggar's Curse 
[GROSART, Works], iii. 203. Then to the 
quier ken, to SCOURE THE CRAMP-RING. 

1707. SHIRLEY, Triumph of Wit, 
'Rum-Works Faithless Maunder.' Thou 
the Cramp-rings ne'er did SCOWRE. 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, 
xxxviii. No wonder that you SCOUR THE 
CRAMP-RING and trine to the cheat sae 
often. 

SCOURER (or SCOWRER), suds. 
(old). I. { Drunkards, beating 
the Watch, breaking Windows, 
clearing the Streets, &c. (B. E. : 
also GROSE) : whence (2) a night- 
thief. Hence TO SCOUR THE 
STREETS = to act riotously. 

C.I70O. Gentleman Instructed, 491 
[10 ed., 1732]. He spurr'd to London, and 
. . . Here he struck up with sharpers, 
SCOURERS, and Alsatians. 

1712. STEELE, Spectator, 324. Bul- 
lies and SCOWERERS of a long standing. 

1712. GAY, Trivia, iii. 325. Who 
has not heard the SCOWERERS midnight 
fame ? Who has not trembled at the Mo- 
hock's name? 



SCOUT, subs. (Oxford Univ.). i. 
A college servant a valet, waiter, 
messenger, &c., in one (GROSE). 

1750.. The Student, i. 55. My 
SCOUT, indeed, is a very learned fellow. 

1822. SCOTT, F. of Nigil, xvi. No 
SCOUT in Oxford, no gyp in Cambridge, 
ever matched him in speed and intelli- 
gence. 



1841. HEWLETT, Peter Priggins, 
College SCOUT, &c. [Title]. 

1853. BRADLEY, Verdant Green, iii. 
Mr. Robert Filcher, the excellent, though 
occasionally erratic SCOUT. 

1884. JULIAN STURGIS in Longmans', 
v. 65. The old don went back to his chair 
... as his SCOUT came in with a note. 

2. (old). A watchman, or 
(modern) a spy. esq. a police spy. 
Hence SCOUT-KEN = a watch- 
house (FOULTER (1754), GROSE, 
VAUX). 

1800. PARKER, Life's Painter, 116. 
There's no hornies, traps, SCOUTS, nor 
beak-runners amongst them. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. iii. 
Turning the corner of Old Bedlam, A 
SCOUT laid me flat upon my face. 

3. (old). A watch (B. E., 
GROSE). 

1688. SHADWELL, Squire of Alsatia, 
ii. Sirrah ! here's a SCOUT ; what's a 
clock, what's a clock, Sirrah. 

1821. HAGGART, Life, 28. Sporting 
an elegant dress SCOUT, drag, and chates. 

4. (old). A mean fellow ; a 
SCAB (q.v). B. E. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Rod. Random, xv. 
Though I be a poor cobbler's son, I am no 
SCOUT. 

Verb. (Sporting). To shoot 
pigeons outside a gun-club en- 
closure. 

To SCOUT ON THE LAY, verb, 
phr. (thieves'). To go in search 
of booty. 

c. 1787. Kilmainham Minit [Ireland 
Sixty Years Ago, 88}. The scrag-boy 
may yet be outwitted, And I SCOUT again 

ON DE LAY. 

SCOWBANK, subs, (nautical). A 
term of contempt to a sailor (C. 
RUSSELL). 

SCRAG (or CRAG), sttbs. (old). 
The neck; COLQU ARRON (q. v. ) : 
as verb. (i) to hang ; and (2) 
to throttle. Hence SCRAGGING 



Scrag. 



121 



Scran. 



= an execution : SCRAG-BOY = 
the hangman ; SCRAGGING-POST 
(SCRAG-SQUEEZER or SCRAG) = 
the gallows; SCRAGG-'EM FAIR 
= a public execution (GROSE, 
PARKER, VAUX). 

^.1555. LYNDSAV, Tkrie Estaitis 
[E. E. T. S., 4031]. Allace ! Maister, ye 
hurt my CRAG. 

1579. SPENSER, Shep. Calendar, 
Feb., 89. Thy Ewes that woont to haue 
blowen bags, Like wailefull widdowes 
hangen their CRAGS. 

1653. MIDDLETON, Changeling, \. 2. 
The devil put the rope about her CRAG. 

1780. TOMLINSON, Slang Pastoral, 
10. What Kiddy's so rum as to get him- 
self SCRAGG'D. 

.1787. Kilmainham Minit [Ireland 
Sixty Years Ago, 88]. But if dat de slang 
you run sly, The SCRAG-BOY may yet be 
outwitted, And I scout again on de lay. 

1820. London Mag., i. 26. The 
SCRAGGING-POST must have been his fate. 

1827. LYTTON, Pelham, Ixxxiii. If 
he pikes we shall all be SCRAGGED. 

1829. The Lag^s Lament [Vidocq's 
Mem., iii. 169). Snitch on the gang, 
that'll be the best vay To save your SCRAG. 

1834. AINSWORTH, Roohwood, v. i. 
I wish I was as certain of my reward as 
that Turpin will eventually figure at the 
SCRAGGIMG-POST. 

1836. MILNER, Turpin's Ride to 
York, i. 3. I shall never come to the 
SCRAGGING-POST, unless you turn topsman. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingoldsby Leg. So 
out with your whinger at once And SCRAG 
Jane, while I spiflicate Johnny. 

1838. DICKENS, Oliver Twist, xviii. 
Indicating, by a lively pantomimic repre- 
sentation, that SCRAGGING and' hanging 
were one and the same thing. 

1843. MONCRIEFF, Scamps oj Lon- 
don, ii. 3. He was three times lagged, 
and werry near SCRAGGED. 

1883. D. Telegraph, 7 August, 6, 2. 
His waistcoat was of the tight up round 
the SCRAG pattern. 

1887. HENLEY, Villon's Straight 
Tip. Until the squeezer nips your SCRAG, 
Booze and the blowens cop the lot 



1803. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 61. 
A crusher's 'ard knuckles a crunching yer 

SCRAG. 

1900. KIPLING, Stalky &* Co., 46. 
Don't drop oil over my ' Fors," or I'll 
SCRAG you. 

2. (colloquial). A raw-bones. 
Hence SCRAGGY = lean ; thin 
(GROSE). 

3. (Shrewsbury School). See 
quot. 

1881. PASCOE, Public Schools. The 
highest mark is twenty with a cross . . . 
and so down to a huge duck's egg and a 
rent across the paper entitled a SCRAG. 

To SCRAG A LAY, verb. phr. 
(old). 'To steal clothes put on 
a hedge to dry ' (TuFTs) ; TO GO 
SNOWY-HUNTING 



phr. 



SCRAGG'S HOTEL, subs. 
(tramps'). See quot. 

1886. D. Telegraph, i Jan., i. It 
looked very much as though we should be 
obliged to put up at SCRAGG'S HOTEL 
the Work'us, if you like it better. 

SCRAMBLE, subs, (common). A 
feed of any kind : usually with 
a qualifying subs. : as TEA- 
SCRAMBLE, MUFFIN-SCRAMBLE, 
TOFFEE-SCRAMBLE, &C. 

1901. Troddles, 46. ' Rats ! . . . 
didn't you ever have a TOFFEE SCRAMBLE? ' 

SCRAN, subs, (beggars'). (i) Food : 
spec, broken victuals ; (2) = 
refuse ; also (3, military) = a 
meal. Hence SCRAN-BAG = a 
haversack, or TOMMY-BAG (y.v.); 
ON THE SCRAN = begging. BAD 
SCRAN TO YE ! (Irish) = a mild 
malediction. 

1724. HARPER, Frisky Molts Song 
[FARMER, Musa Pedestris(\%Q6), 41. But 
ere for the SCRAN he had tipt the cole, The 
Harman he came in. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, 207. 
If you open your peepers you'll go without 

SCRAN. 



Scrap. 



122 



Scrape. 



1841. LEVER, Charles O'Malley, 
Ixxxv. BAD SCRAN TO ME if I wouldn't 
marry out of a face this blessed morning 
just as soon as I'd look at ye. 

18.151. MAYHEW, London Lab.,\. 466. 
Most of the lodging-house keepers buy the 
SCRAN of the cadgers. 

c.i 876. Music Hall Song, 'Uncle 
Attend to Tommy.' And if he gets no 
SCRAN, I soon shall see him wollop me As 
hard as ever he can. 

1883. D. Telegraph, 8 Feb., 3, 2. 
She used to buy the contents of their 
SCRAN BAGS of 'em. The broken wittles 
was no good to them, and they'd let it go 
cheap. 

1893. EMERSON, Lippo, xviii. Thin 
BAD SCRAN TO HER. Is the 'onerable Mrs. 
Putney in town? The bark again con- 
sulted his book. 

4. (common). The reckoning 
at a public-house. 

SCRAP, subs, (common). (i) A 

fight ; a ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE 

(q.v.) : also SCRAP-UP : hence 

SCRAPPING (or SCRAPPING- 
MATCH) = prize-fighting or box- 
ing ; SCRAPPER = a pugilist. 
Also (2) = a blow : see quot. 
1610. 

1610. ROWLANDS, Martin Mark-All, 
40 (H. Club's Repr., 1874). SCRAPPES, 
fatte and glorious bittes : sound blowes 
and hangings. The muggill will tip you 
fat SCRAPS and glorious bits, the Beadle 
will well bumbast you. 

1885. G. DOLBY, Dickens as I knew 
him, 102. An effect . . . resembling a 
SCRAP in a game of football. 

1886-96. MARSHALL, Sad Heart 
[' Pomes,' 76]. Why, he can't SCRAP for 
nuts. 

1887. D. News, 3 Feb., 7, i. He 
put his hat down in the hall, and said, 
"You want to SCRAP." (Laughter.) Mr. 
D'Eyncourt : SCRAP ! What does that 
mean ? Defendant : It is some boxing 
term, sir. He came squaring up to me in 
a fighting attitude, and then I admit I did 
the best I could. 

1893. EMERSON, Lippo, xvii. I 
could put up my dooks, so I backed to 
SCRAP a cove bigger nor me for a finnif a 
side. The SCRAP came off down the river 
at a place near Erith. 



1896. CRANE, Maggie, i. He mur- 
mured with interest, ' a SCRAP, Gee ! ' He 
strode over to the cursing circle. Ibid., 
vi. Dat mug SCRAPPED like a dago. He 
tau't he was a SCRAPPER. But he foun' 
out diffent. 

3. (old). ' A villainous scheme 

or plot' : TO WHIDDLE THE 

WHOLE SCRAP = ' to discover the 
plot ' (GROSE). 

SCRAPE, subs, (colloquial). i. 
Trouble ; a difficulty (GROSE). 

1741. WARBURTON, Divine Legation, 

11. The too eager pursuit of his old enemy 
has led him into many of these SCRAPES. 

1748. SMOLLETT, Rod. Random, ix. 
He got himself into a SCRAPE by pawning 
some of his lordship's clothes. Ibid. (1749), 
Gil Bias [ROUTLEDGE], 188. By this 
device I got out of the SCRAPE. 

1754. Connoisseur, No. 6. I had, 
indeed, like to have got into some unlucky 
SCRAPES. 

1767. STERNE, Tristram Shandy, \. 

12. This unwary pleasantry of thine will 
. . . bring thee into SCRAPES and diffi- 
culties. 

1778. SHERIDAN, Rivals, v. i. Have 
they drawn poor ... Sir Lucian into the 

SCRAPE. 

1790. BRUCE, Source of Nile, n. 456. 
The Naybe Musa . . . found into what a 
terrible SCRAPE he had got. 

1797. M. G. LEWIS, Castle Spectre, 
v. i. He'd be in a terrible SCRAPE if you 
began knocking down his walls. 

1818. SCOTT, Rob Roy, viii. Jobson, 
however, was determined that Morris 
should not back out of the SCRAPE or 
easily. Ibid. (1819), Lammermoor, viii. 
Unless you be in the Jacobite SCRAPE 
already, it is quite needless for me to drag 
you in. 

2. (common). An obeisance : 
also as verb to salute by scrap- 
ing the feet ; SCRAPE-SHOE = a 
sycophant : see LEG. 

1632. MASSINGER [?], City Madam, 
jv. i. Live, SCRAPE-SHOE, and be thankful. 

.1840. MANSFIELD, School Life in 
Winchester. When a Praefect wished to 
go out of School he SCRAPED with his foot 
till he got a nod from the Master. 



Scrape. 



123 



Scratch. 



1851. HAWTHORNE, Seven. Gables, 
xi. He took off his Highland bonnet, and 
performed a bow and SCRAPE. 

3. (common). A shave: hence 
SCRAPER = (a) a razor, and (b) a 
barber ; and as verb = to shave. 

1869. Public Opinion, 19 June. The 
beard and moustache which the sailors in 
the Royal Navy will be permitted to wear, 
thereby doing away with the objection 
that blue-jackets have to the SCRAPER. 

4. (school). Cheap butter: 
whence BREAD AND SCRAPE = 
(a) bread very thinly spread with 
butter, and (b) short commons. 
SCRAPE also = short shrift. 

1873. BROUGHTON, Nancy, xlvii. 
Some people have their happiness thinly 
spread over their whole lives, like BREAD 

AND SCRAPE ! 

1899. Pall Mall Gazette, 5 Ap., 2, i. 
From the French adventurers he was only 
likely to get what schoolboys call SCRAPE, 
for though musical boxes and patent arm- 
chairs are all very well in the way, they do 
not serve to check a Dervish attack or to 
keep wild Somalis in subjection. 

5. (old). A turn at fiddling: 
also SCRAPING ; as verb to 

fiddle; SCRAPER(orGUT-SCRAPER) 

= a fiddler. See CAT-GUT 
SCRAPER. 

1607. DEKKER and WEBSTER, West- 
ward Hoe, v. i. ' They are but rosining, 
sir, and they'll SCRAPE themselves into 
your company presently ' . . . ' Plague a' 
their cat's-guts and their SCRAPING.' 

1611. CHAPMAN, May-day, iv. i. 
Strike up, SCRAPERS ! 

d.i66j. COWLEY [JOHNSON]. Out ! ye 
sempiternal SCRAPERS. 

1785. BURNS, Jolly Beggars, Her 
charms had struck a sturdy Caird, As 
weel's a poor GUT-SCRAPER. 

6. (old). A miser: also 

SCRAPER, SCRAPE- PENNY, 
SCRAPE-ALL, SCRAPESCALL, and 

SCRAPEGOOD. As verb to stint, 
to deny. 

1631. G. HERBERT, Temple, ' Church 
Porch.' Never was SCRAPER brave man. 



1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, in. iv. 
A pinch-penny, a SCRAPE-GOOD wretch. 

c.i 696. B. E., Diet. Cant. Crew, s.v. 
SCRAPE ALL, a Money-Scrivener : also a 
miserable Wretch, or gripping Fellow. 

TO SCRAPE THE ENAMEL, verb, 
phr. (cyclists'). To scratch the 
skin : by a fall. 

See ACQUAINTANCE ; LEG. 

SCRAPER, subs, (nautical). A 
cocked hat (C. RUSSELL). 

See SCRAPE, CATGUT-SCRAPER, 
ELBOW-SCRAPER. 

SCRAPING, subs. (old). See quot. 

1785. GROSE, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. 
SCRAPING. A mode of expressing dislike 
to a person, or sermon, practised at Oxford 
by the students, in SCRAPING their feet 
against the ground during the preachment ; 
frequently done to testify their disappro- 
bation of a proctor who has been, they 
think, too rigorous. 

SCRAPE-TRENCHER, subs. phr. 
(old). A glutton. 

1772. FOOTE, Nabob, iii. So, Mr. 
SCRAPETRENCHER, let's have no more of 
your jaw. 

SCRAPPY (SCRAPPINESS, and 
SCRAPPILY), adj., subs, and adv. 
(colloquial). Made up of odds 
and ends ; in driblets ; without 
system. 

1872. ELIOT, Middlemarch, ii. 
Balanced . . . neatness . . . conspicuous 
from its contrast with . . . SCRAPPY 
slovenliness. 

1886. Cent. Rev., xlix. 779. [Car- 
lyle] was still a raw, narrow-minded, 
SCRAPPILY educated Scotchman. 

1890. Academy, 12 Ap., Adv. iv. 
Well graduated and sufficiently long to 
avoid SCRAPPINESS. 

SCRATCH, subs, (old Scots'). i. 
See quot. : also SCRAT (COLES). 

1560. LINDSAY, of Pitscottie, Croni- 
cles (Edinburgh, 1883,), i. 162. Thare was 
one borne quhich had the memberis both 
of male and female, called in cure language 
ane SCRATCH. 



Scratch. 



124 



Scratch. 



2. (old). A swaggerer (HAL- 
LIWELL). 

3. (old). The itch (HALLI- 
WELL). Hence SCRATCHLAND 
= Scotland : cf. SCOTS GREYS. 

4. (old). A miserly man 
(HALLIWELL). 

5. (sporting). In handicaps 
(a) a starting line for those con- 
testants allowed no odds, (6) the 
time of starting, (c) a start, (d) 
contestants starting from the 
scRATCH-line. In boxing, a line 
drawn across the RING (g.v.) to 
which boxers are brought for a 
SET-TO (GROSE). Hence TO 
COME (or BRING) UP TO (or TOE) 
THE SCRATCH = to be ready, 
willing. 

1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 51. 
Sprightly to the SCRATCH both buffers 
came. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, I. i. I 
challenge thee to the SCRATCH ! Tis one 
of the Fancy calls ! 

1825. JONES, ' True Bottom 'd Boxer ' 
[Univ. Songst., ii. 96]. He's for the 
SCRATCH, and COME UP too IN TIME. 

1827. SCOTT, Two Drovers, ii. 
"How would you fight then?" said his 
antagonist ; " though I am thinking it 
would be hard to BRING you TO THE 
SCRATCH anyhow." 

1834. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, iv. ii. 
Bold came each buffer to the SCRATCH. 

1857. BRADLEY, Verdant Green, n. 
iv. Wondering ... if the gaining palms 
in a circus was the customary "flapper- 
shaking " before TOEING THE SCRATCH for 
business. 

1880. Atheneeutn, 4 Sept., 316, 2. 
A young lady, apparently of about thirteen 
years of age, who comes on the stage in a 
short frock, BRINGS a timid and recalci- 
trant lover TO THE SCRATCH. 

1885. M. Post, 5 Feb. The former 
starting from SCRATCH, and the latter in 
receipt of zoo points. 

1885. Century Mag., xl. 207. The 
SCRATCH, or line from which the jump is 
taken is a joist some five inches wide, sunk 
flush with the ground 



1892. ANSTEV, Voces Pofuli, ' At the 
Military Tonrnament,' 97. (The chestnut 
is at length brought UP TO THE SCRATCH 
snorting, etc.) 

6. (billiards). A FLUKE (q.v.). 

Adj. (colloquial). Generic for 
chance : hap-hazard, hasty, ' first 
come, first served.' Thus a 

SCRATCH - CREW (-TEAM, or 

-COMPANY) = a crew, &c., got 
together at short notice and with- 
out special selection ; SCRATCH- 
RACE = a contest, unrestricted by 
conditions, a ' Go-as-you-please * 
affair ; A SCRATCH-MEAL = a 
PICK-UP (q.v.} meal; &c., &c. 

Also TO SCRATCH ALONG = to 

manage somehow. 

1859. LEVER, Davenport Dunn, Ivi. 
Gathered together like what jockies call a 

SCRATCH-TEAM, 

1869. Orchestra, 18 June. There is 
no English company not the best- 
worthy of comparison with Felix's SCRATCH 
TROUPE in respect of ensemble, of accurate 
detail. 

1870. Figaro, is Feb. I do not 
much like the look of the SCRATCH COM- 
PANY that Messrs. Montague, James, and 
Thome have got together. 

1874. COLLINS, Frances, xlii. 
Frances and Cecilia, coming down, found 
a hasty luncheon, and everybody busy at 
it ... When this SCRATCH LUNCHEON 
was over, everybody went out. 

1883. OLIPHANT, Altiora Pets, i. 
xvi. 261. A coarse-fibred, stumpy little 
man . . . whose vulgarity wold have 
fatally handicapped any other woman than 
his lovely and talented wife in the social 

SCRATCH RACE. 

1885. Field, 4 Ap. Notwithstanding 
their long preparation and perfect coaching 
[they] looked like SCRATCH CREWS. 

1888. Harper's Mag., Ixxvii. 88. I 
suspect we'll SCRATCH ALONG all right. 

Verb, (colloquial). i. To ex- 
punge ; to blot-out ; spec, (a) to 
reject a horse, a candidate, &c. ; 
and (b) to retire. 



Scratched. 



125 



Screamer. 



1860. W. H. RUSSELL, Diary in 
India, i. 189. His last act is to try and get 
his name SCRATCHED. 

1868. WHVTE - MELVILLE, White 
Rose, i. xiii. How's the hoose ? . . . You 
haven't SCRATCHED him, have ye ? 

1884. D. Telegraph, 25 August, 3, 4. 
An acceptance of fourteen has already 
been cut down to a dozen by the SCRATCH- 
ING of Jetsam and Loch Ranza. Ibid. 
(1885), 6 Oct. One of his owner's first 
actions . . . was to SCRATCH the horse. 

1885. D. Chronicle, 3 July. The 
Eton boys . . . made up their minds on 
Wednesday evening to SCRATCH. 

1888. D. Chronicle, loDec. Grimsby 
Town received a bye, Gainsborough 
Trinity having SCRATCHED to them. 

1888. Sp. Life, 18 Dec. As she was 
clearly handicapped out of the race at Wye 
I had no option but to SCRATCH her. 

2. (colloquial"), To scribble : 
as subs. a scrawl. SCRATCHER 
(U. S.) = a daybook. 

</.i745. SWIFT [Century], If any of 
their labourers can SCRATCH out a pam- 
phlet, they desire no wit, style, or argu- 
ment. 

1172. ELIOT, Middlemarch, Ixxv. 
This is Chichely's SCRATCH. What is he 
writing to you about. 

1887. PHIL. LEDGER, 30 Dec. He 
[a bank teller] would not enter deposits in 
his SCRATCHER after a certain hour. 

PHRASES. No GREAT 
SCRATCH = of little value ; OLD 
SCRATCH (q.v.) ; TO SCRATCH 
ONE'S WOOL (tailors') = to try 
one's memory, to puzzle out; 
SCRATCH my breech and I'll 
claw your elbow' (KA ME, KA 

THEE, q.V.)', NOT A SIXPENCE 
TO SCRATCH HIS ARSE WITH = 

penniless. 

1844. Major Jones's Courtship De- 
tailed, 136. There are a good many 
Joneses in Georgia, and I know some my- 
self that ain't NO GREAT SCRATCHES. 



SCRATCHED, adj. (Old Cant). 
Drunk : see SCREWED. [TAYLOR, 
Water Poet, 1630]. 



SCRATCHER, subs. (American). i. 
An independent elector ; a 
BOLTER (q.V.). 

1883. Atlantic Monthly, LII. 327. 
To whom a SCRATCHER is more hateful 
than the Beast. 

See SCRATCH, verb. 2. 

SCRAWNY, subs. (American). A 
thin, ill-made man or woman; A 

RASHER OF WIND (f.V.). 

1890. Detroit Free Press, 21 June, 
5, 3. If the line is to be drawn between 
the SCRAWNY and the adipose, the SCRAW- 
NIES have it. They are full of delightful 
possibilities. 

SCREAMER, subs, (common). i. 
An exceptional person or thing : 
hence SCREAMING = first - rate, 
splendid : spec, as causing screams 
of laughter. 

1846. THORPE, Backwoods [Century], 
If he's a specimen of the Choctaws that 
live in these parts, they are SCREAMERS. 

1847. PORTER, Quarter Race, 189. 
1 Now look out for a SCREAMER I ' 

1853. WH - MELVILLE, Digby Grand, 
xx. I am in for a SCREAMER, and the bill 
for which I am arrested is only a ruse to 
prevent my leaving England. 

1864. HOTTEN, Slang Diet, s.v. 
SCREAMING . . . Believed to have been 
used in the Adelphi play - bills : "a 
SCREAMING farce," one calculated to make 
the audience SCREAM with laughter. 

1874. Siliad, 49. There'll be no 
child's play in the Russian dug, Twill be 
a SCREAMER, and a frightful tug. 

1879. BRADDON, Cloven Foot, vi. 
"Well, cried the manager, radiant, "a 
SCREAMING success. There's money in _it. 
I shall run this three hundred nights." 

1883. D. Telegraph, 19 Jan., 3, 5. A 
more amusing half-hour could not be spent 
than under the influence of this farce, 
which, in the old Adelphi days would 
most emphatically have been called a 
SCREAMER, /oia. (1888), 8 Dec. The 
1 Deputy-Registrar' is a SCREAMER indeed. 

1888. RUNCIMAN, Chequers, 38. She's 
a SCREAMER, she's a real swell. 



Screech. 



126 



Screw. 



1891. Sporting Life, 25 Mar. The 
piece, which is of the SCREAMING order of 
farce, certainly produces abundant laugh- 
ter. 

1803. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 77. 
Yank on to one gal, a fair SCREAMER. 

2. (thieves'). A thief who, 
robbed by another thief, applies 
to the police ; in American a 
SQUEALER (q.V.). 

SCREECH, subs, (common). Whis- 
key : see OLD MAN'S MILK. 

SCREECH ER, subs, (colloquial). 
Anything harsh or strident. 
Hence SCREECHY = loud mouthed. 

SCREED. SCREED o' DRINK, stibs. 
phr. (Scots'). I. A full supply ; 
whence (2) a drinking bout. 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xxv. 
Naething confuses one, unless it be a 
SCREED O'DRINK at an oration. 

SCREEN, subs. (old). A bank note 
(GROSE, VAUX). Hence SCREEN- 
FAKING = fingering notes ; QUEER 
SCREENS = counterfeit paper : cf. 

SCREEVE. 

1 83 1. EGAN, Life in London, u. v. 
Vy, it's full of pot-hooks and hangers and 
not a SCREEN Li note] in it. 

1830. MONCRIEFF, Heart of Lon- 
don, u. i. A little SCREEN-FAKING, that's 
all. 

1834. AINSWORTH, Roodwood, ' Nix 
my Dolly.' Readily the QUEER SCREENS 
I then could smash. 

1840. LYTTON, Paul Clifford, xxxi. 
Stretched for smashing QUEER SCREENS. 



SCREEVE (or SCREAVE),^^^. (old). 
I. Anything written : a begging 
letter, a testimonial, chalk pave- 
ment work, &c. Also (2) a bank 
note (Scots) : cf. SCREEN ; 
ScREEVETON = the Bank of Eng- 
land. As verb. to write, or 
draw; SCREEVER (or SCREEVE- 
FAKER) = (i) a cheeky beggar 
(GROSE, VAUX), and spec. (2) a 
pavement- ' artist. ' 



1821. HAGGART, Life, 25. The 
SCREAVES were in his benjy cloy. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Lond. Lab., \. 
339. Professional beggars are . . . those 
who ' do it on the blob ' (by word of 
mouth), and those who do it by SCREEV- 
ING, that is, by petitions and letters. Ibid. 
i. .341. Such a ' fakement ' [a begging 
petition, &c.], put into the hands of an ex- 
perienced lurker, will bring the 'amanu- 
ensis,' or SCREEVER, two guineas at least, 
and the proceeds of such an expedition 
have in many cases averaged ,60 per 
week. Ibid., \. 542. His chief practice 
was SCREEVING or writing on the pave- 
ment. Ibid. (1862), iv. 442. The next 
SCREEVE takes the form of a resolution at 
a public meeting. 

1857. Punch, 31 Jan., 49. It's agin 
the rules is SCREEVIN* to pals out o' gaol. 

1866. London Miscellany, 3 Mar., 
57. " You'd better be a SCREEVER if they 
ask you," said he. " That'll account for 
your hands, you know." "You mean a 
begging-letter writer? " 

1883. Punch, 14 July, 13, 2. Here 
is a brilliant opening for merry old Aca- 
demicians, festive flagstone SCREEVERS, 
and "distinguished amateurs." 

1884. World,^ 16 April, 15, i. A 
correspondent writes : " Apropos of 
SCREEVER . . . does it get its derivation 
from the Italian scrivere, to write? " 

1887, HENLEY, Villon's Straight 
Tip, i. Suppose you SCREEVE or go 
cheap-jack. 

1889. Answers, 27 July, 136, 2. A 
list of subscribers to a charity is carefully 
cut out by the SCREEVERS and studied. 
Ibid. A clerk is frequently called a 
SCREEVER, but a SCREEVER proper (or 
improper) is such a remarkable person. 

SCREW, subs, (colloquial). i. An 
extortioner ; a miser. As verb. 
= to coerce into paying or saving 
money, or making a promise, 
yielding one's opinion, vote, 
person, &c. : also TO SCREW UP 
(or OUT), and TO PUT ON (or 
UNDER or TURN) THE SCREW 
(B. E., GROSE); SCREWY (or 
SCREWING) = mean. 

c.i 696. B. E., Diet. Cant. Crew, s.v. 
SCREW, TO SCREW ONE UP, to exact upon 
one, or Squeeze one in a Bargain or 
Reckoning. 



Screw. 



127 



Screw. 



1781. COWPER, Truth, 385. Strained 
to the last SCREW he can bear. 

1847. THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, 
viii. They both agreed in calling him an 
old SCREW, which means a very stingy, 
avaricious person. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Lend. Lab., \. 
319. Mechanics are capital customers 
. . . They are not so SCREWY. 

1852. Dow, Sermons, i. 302. Love 
strains the heart-strings of the human race, 
and not unfrequently PUTS THE SCREWS 
ON so hard as to snap them asunder. 

1855. THACKERAY, Newcotnes, xliv. 
Did you ever hear of me SCREWING ? No, 
I spend my money like a man. 

1857. New York Times, 15 Sep. 
Such TURNS OF THE SCREWS as we have 
had for the last three weeks, if continued, 
would bring almost every mercantile house 
in New York to wreck. 

1859. KINGSLEY, Geoffrey Hautlyn, 
xxvn. However I will PUT THE SCREW 
ON them. They shall have nothing from 
me till they treat her better. 

1860. Cornhill Mag., 11. 381. He 
was an immense SCREW at school. 

1866. G. ELIOT, Pelix Holt, xi. A 
SCREWING fellow, by what I understand 
a domineering fellow who would expect 
men to do as he liked without paying them 
for it. 

1869. GREENWOOD, Seven Curses, 
&*c., 170. If I entrust my tailor with 
stuff for a suit, and it afterwards comes to 
my knowledge that he has SCREWED an 
extra waistcoat out of it. 

1874. MRS. H. WOOD, Johnny Lud- 
low, ist S., No. xvn. 301. For once in 
his SCREWY life, old Brown was generous. 

1876. BRADDON, Joshua Haggard, 
xxx. He were so hard upon 'em, and that 
SCREWY, never a drop of milk or a fagot to 
give 'em. 

1876. BURNABY, Ride to Khiva, ii. 
The Russians will not openly stop you, 
but they will PUT THE SCREW UPON our 
own Foreign Office and force the latter to 
do so. 

1885. Field, 12 Dec. The utterly 
exorbitant rents that Scotch proprietors 
. . . have managed to SCREW OUT of 
sportsmen in the last few years. 

1885. D. Telegraph, 12 Sep. He 
had little doubt of being able to PUT THE 
SCREW ON me for any amount I was good 
for. 



2. (American collegiate). (a) 
An unnecessarily minute exami- 
nation; and (If) a SCREW. The 
instructor is often designated by 
the same name. (HALL, College 
Words.} 

18 [?]. Harvard Register, 378 [BART- 
LETT]. One must experience the stammer- 
ing and stuttering, the unending doublings 
and guessings, to understand fully the 
power of a mathematical SCREW. 

3. (common). An old or 
worthless horse : whence (loosely) 
anything old. SCREWY = worn- 
out, worthless. 

1835. APPERLEY, Nimrod's Hunting 
Tour, 215. Mr. Charles Boultbee, the 
best SCREW driver in England. (Note.) 
This is somewhat technical, and wants an 
explanation. A lame or very bad horse is 
called a SCREW. 

1858. LYTTON, What Will He Do 
with it, vin. vi. I suppose I was cheated 
and the brute proved a SCREW. 

1869. WHYTE-MELVILLE, M. or N., 
6 1. The utmost speed attainable by a pair 
of high wheels, a well-bred SCREW, and a 
rough-looking driver. 

1870. R. BROUGHTON, Red as a 
Rose, xix. The oldest and SCREWIEST 
horse in the stables. 

1870. Times, 23 July, 'Speech of 
Lord Granville.' A considerable number 
of what are vulgarly called SCREWS have 
been bought at 20 a piece. 

1874. COLLINS, Frances, xlii. Julian 
Orchard proved his skill as a whip by 
making four _ SCREWS do six miles in 
twenty-five minutes. 

1897. KENNARD, Girl in Brown 
Habit, i. 4. A couple of likely-looking 

SCREWS. 

4. (common). See quot. 1851. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., r. 
494. I never was admitted to offer them 
in a parlour or tap-room ; that would have 
interfered with the order for SCREWS 
(penny papers of tobacco), which is a 
rattling good profit. 

i8[?] DICKENS, Reprinted Pieces, 
(Bill-Sticking), 181. A pipe, and what I 
understand is called a SCREW of tobacco 
an object which has the appearance of a 
curl-paper taken off the barmaid's head 
with the curl in it. 



Screw. 



128 



Screw. 



5. (common). Money earned. 

C.i86o. Music-hall Song, 'TheG.P.O.' 
He often thought of marriage, though his 
SCREW was low. 

1872. Figaro, 18 May. The amateur 
element . . . takes paltry salaries (often 
none), and keeps down the SCREW of the 
actor. 

1879. JUSTIN M'CARTHY, Donna 
Quixotc } xvii. They get a good SCREW at 
the music-halls, I'm told. 

1886. D. Telegraph, 25 Sep. .150 
per annum is considered quite a good 
SCREW for a senior hand. 

1886-96. MARSHALL, 'Pomes,' 45. 
When he paid him his SCREW. 

1892. Ally Sloper, 27 Feb., 71, 3. 
He had now the neat salary of ,450 a 
year, and had come to the conclusion that 
a person with a SCREW like that might 
safely commit matrimony. 

6. (old). A turnkey (GROSE) : 
Fr. raf and griffleur. As verb. 
= to imprison : also TO PUT 

UNDER THE SCREW ; SCREWING 

= a term of imprisonment. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, I. ii. 
Washing the ivory with a prime SCREW 
under the spikes in St. George's Fields. 
Ibid., ii. vii. The officer, for his own 
safety, was compelled to PUT him UNDER 
THE SCREW. Ibid, (ist ed.), 219. If ever 
I am SCREWED UP within these walls. 

1869. Temple Bar, xxvi. 72. He 
was a fool to let the SCREW see he had the 
snout. 

1872. D. Telegraph, 4 July. The 
letter was produced ... It was to the 
effect that the woman was to try her best 
with the SCREWS, and that there were 
plenty of " quids " to get her out of prison 
by next Monday. 

1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, 
ii. The slang name for all the officials is 
SCREWS. 

1889. Answers, 9 Mar., 233, 3. 
Great excitement was caused ... by an 
attempt made by a prisoner on the life of a 
warder. The SCREW was examining the 
man, who was working as a tailor, &c. 

1890. Sportsman, 6 Dec. He was 
next trained to run at Haydock in Sep- 



tember, and got a good SCREWING for an 
rnished puppy sixteen months old. 



unfun 



7. (old). A skeleton -key : as 
verb. = to burgle : spec, by means 
of false keys; THE SCREW (or 
SCREW - GAME) = burglary; 
SCREWSMAN = a burglar (VAUX). 
Also *to stand ON THE SCREW' 
= (GROSE) ' the door is not 
bolted merely locked.' 

1852. JUDSON, Myst. of New York, 
ii. ii. I sent on to have the SCREWS fitted, 
and somethin's leaked out, for they've put 
a glim inside. 

1857. SNOWDEN, Mag. Assistant 
(3rd Ed.), 445. Housebreaking imple- 
ments SCREWS. 

1868. Temple Bar, xxv. 543. From 
that I got to be a SCREWSMAN, and a 
cracksman. 

1879. HORSLEY [Macm. Mag., xl. 
503], I had the James and SCREWS on me 
. . . We went and SCREWED into his place, 
and got thirty-two quid. Ibid., 505. I 
asked a SCREWSMAN if he would lend me 
some SCREWS. 

1888. CasselFs Sat. //., 22 Dec., 
305. The SCREW fits the same as if it had 
been made for the back door. 

1888. SIMS, Plank Bed Ballad, 5. 
With SCREWS and a james I was collared. 

8. (old). A prostitute : see 
TART. Whence, as verb. to 
copulate : see RIDE (GROSE). 

9. (common). A dram ; a 

PICK-ME-UP. 

1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, 
iii. It seems he was in the habit of taking 
every morning a SCREW in the shape of a 
little dose of bitters to correct the effects 
of the last evening's festivities. 

10. (old). A stomach ache 
(HALLIWELL). 

A SCREW LOOSE, verb. phr. 
(old). -Something wrong (GROSE : 
* a complete flash phrase '). 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, i. vii. 
The token was sufficiently impressive to 
remind him that if the LOOSE SCREW was 
not attended to the hinges would be 
ultimately out of repair. 



Screwed. 



129 



Screwed. 



1830. MONCRIEFF, Heart of London, 
\\. a. His lordship seems hipped some- 
thing wrong in the House last night,_ I 
suppose a SCREW LOOSE on the opposition 
benches. 

1837. DICKENS, Pickwick, xlix. My 
uncle was confirmed in his original im- 
pression that something dark and my- 
sterious was going forward, or, as he 
always said himself, that 'there was A 
SCREW LOOSE somewhere.' 

1855. TROLLOPS, The Warden, viii. 
There's a SCREW LOOSE in their case, and 
we had better do nothing. 

1872. South London Press, 17 Aug. 
Whether there was a SCREW LOOSE in the 
apparatus, or whether the man possessed 
nerves of more than ordinary power, I 
know not ; but somehow or other the 
electricity bad no effect. 

SCREWED (or SCREWY), adj. (com- 
mon). Drunk; TIGHT (q.v.). 

ENGLISH SYNONYMS. [Fur- 
ther lists will be found under 
DRINKS,DRUNK,D.T'S,GALLON- 
DISTEMPER, LUSH, LUSH-CRIB, 
and LUSHINGTON.] To BE 
afflicted, afloat, alecied, all 
at sea, all mops-and-brooms, 
in one's armour, in one's 
altitudes, at rest, Bacchi plemis, 
battered, be-argered, beery, be- 
mused, a bit on, blind, bloated, 
blowed, blued, boozed, bosky, a 
brewer, bright in the eye, bubbed, 
budgy, buffy, bung-eyed, candy, 
canon (or cannon), chirping- 
merry, chucked, clear, clinched, 
concerned, corked, corkscrewed, 
corky, corned, crooked, in one's 
cups, cup-shot, cut, dagged, 
damaged, dead-oh ! disguised, 
disorderly, doing the Lord (or 
Emperor), done over, down (with 
barrel-fever : see GALLON-DIS- 
TEMPER), dull in the eye, full of 
Dutch-courage, electrified, ele- 
phant's-trunk (rhyming), elevated, 
exalted, far gone, feeling funny 
(or right royal), fettled (or in good 
fettle), fighting-tight (or drunk), 



flawed, floored, fluffed, flum- 
moxed, flushed, flustered, flus- 
trated, flying-high, fly-blown, 
fogged (or foggy), fou (Scots), on 
fourth, foxed, fresh, fuddled, full, 
full-flavoured, full to the bung, 
fuzzy, gay, gilded, glorious, 
grape-shot, gravelled, greetin'- 
fou', groggy, hanced, half-seas- 
over, happy, hard-up, hazy, 
heady, hearty, helpless, hiccius- 
doccius, hickey, high, hockey, 
hoodman, in a difficulty (see GAL- 
LON-DISTEMPER), incog, inspired, 
jagged, jolly, jug-bitten, kennurd 
(back slang = drunk), all keyhole, 
kisk, knocked-up, leary, lion 
drunk, in Liquor-pond Street- 
loaded, looking lively, lumpy, 
lushy, making indentures with 
one's legs, malted, martin-drunk, 
mashed, mellow, miraculous, 
mixed, moony, mopped, moppy, 
mortal, muckibus, muddled, 
mugged, muggy, muzzy, nappy, 
nase (or nazy), noddy-headed, 
noggy, obfuscated, oddish, off (off 
at the nail, or one's nut), on (also 
on the bend, beer, batter, fuddle, 
muddle, sentry, skyte, spree, 
etc.: see FLARE-UP and 
FLOORED), out (also out of funds, 
register, altitudes, &c.), overcome, 
overseen, overshot, over-sparred, 
overtaken, over the bay, palatic, 
paralysed, peckish, a peg too 
low, pepst, pickled, piper-drunk 
(or -merry), ploughed, poddy, 
podgy, potted-off, pot-shot, pot- 
sick, pot-valiant, primed, pruned, 
pushed, queered, quick-tempered, 
raddled, rammaged, ramping- 
mad, rather touched, rattled, 
reeling (or tumbling), ripe, roaring, 
rocky, salubrious, scammered, 
scooped, sewn up, shaky, three 
(or four) sheets in the wind, shot, 
shot in the neck, slewed, smeekit, 
smelling of the cork, snapped, 
snuffy, snug, so, soaked, sow- 



Screwed. 



130 



Screwed. 



drunk, spiffed, spoony-drunk, 
spreeish, sprung, squiffed (or 
squiffy), stale-drunk, starchy, 
swattled, swiggled, swilled, swin- 
nied, swine-drunk, swiped (or 
swipey), swivelly, swizzled, 
taking it easy, tangle-footed, tap- 
shackled, taverned (also hit 
on the head by a tavern 
bitch, or to have swallowed a 
tavern token), teeth under, 
thirsty, tight, tipsy, top-heavy, 
topsy-boosy, tosticated, under the 
influence, up a tree, up in 
one's hat, waving a flag of 
defiance, wet, wet-handed, 
what-nosed, whipcat (FLORIO), 
whittled, winey, yappish (yaupy 
or yappy). Also, TO HAVE a 
guest in the attic, the back teeth 
well afloat, a piece of bread and 
cheese in the head, drunk more 
than one has bled, the sun in 
one's eyes, a touch of boskiness, 
a cup too much, a brick in the 
hat, a drop in the eye, 
got the flavour, a full cargo 
aboard, a jag on, a cut 
leg, the malt above the wheat, 
one's nuff, one's soul in soak, 
yellow fever. Also, TO HAVE 
BEEN barring too much, bitten by 
a barn mouse, driving the 
brewer's horse, biting one's name 
in, dipping rather deep, making 
M's and T's, paid, painting the 
town red, shaking a cloth in the 
wind. Also, to wear a barley 
cap, to cop the brewer, to let 
the finger ride the thumb, 
to lap the gutter, to need a 
reef taken in, to see the devil, to 
take a shard (or shourd), to shoe 
the goose, to see one apiece. 

FRENCH SYNONYMS. S allu- 
mer ; s 1 attendrir ; attraper un 
allumette rond, un coup de sir op, 
or une maculature ; AVOIR son 
affaire, son allumette (son allu- 



mette ronde, de campagne, or de 
marc hand de viri), une barbe, son 
caillon, un coitp de bleu (de bou- 
teille, chasselas, fdrd t feu, feu de 
socie'te', picton, sirop, or soleil}, 
son casque, sa chique, sa cocarde, 
son compte, sa cuite, une culotte, 
de gaz, un grain (or petit grain}, 
son jeune hommc, le mal Saint- 
Martin, le nez sale (or nez-de- 
chien}, le panache, son paquet, sa 
pente, sa pistache, son plein, son 
plumet, sa pointe, son pompon, 
son poteau (or poteau ttltgra- 
phique), du roulis, un sabre, lesac 
plein, or son toquel ; avoir fume" 
un pipe neuve ; EN AVOIR jusgu'd 
la troisieme capucin, une char- 
rette, une vraie muffle, plein son 
sac, or dans le toquet ; battre la 
muraille ; se cardinaliser ; 
charmer les puces ; se cingler le 
blair ; se coagtiler ; se cocarder ; 
se coller un coup de jus, or une 
biture ; se culotter de la tSte aux 
pieds ; {eraser un grain; s'em- 
brouillarder ; s'trnfrher ; s'frnfrtf- 
lonner ; s'entuminer ; fempaffer ; 
fempoivrer ; ETRE absinthe 1 , 
allume", asphyxi^ bamboche, bien 
(or bien pensd}, un brin en riole, 
dans les brindezingues, dans le 
brouillard, dans les broussilles, 
bu, casquette, charge", en chtrance, 
tingle", complet, dessous, en drive, 
e'me'che', emu, dans un tat voisin, 
fadt (or bienfade"},fier,gai, gave", 
gris dofficier, humecte", lance", en 
liche, louave, machab^ monte", 
mouille", paf (or paf jusgu'd la 
troisieme), dans (or de} la paroisse 
de Saint-Jean le Rond, parti (or 
parti pour lagloire}, en patrouille, 
pavois, pion, plein (or plein 
comme un auf, un sac}, plombt 
pochard, poche, poivre, poiisst 
raide (or taide comme la justice}, 
riche, rond (or ronde comme une 
balle, unebourrique, unebourrique 
a Robespierre^ or une boule}, saoul 



Screwed. 



Scrope. 



comme tin dne (un hanneton, une 
grivc, un PolonatS) or trente 
milks hommes}, slasse (or sfaze), 
teinte", dans la terrine, en train, 
dans les vignes (or la vigne} du 
Seigneur ; and vent dessus-dessous 
(or dedans) ; faire cracker ses 
soupapes ; se farder ; ftter la 
Saint- Lundi ; se flanquer un 
coup d'arrosoir (une cuite, une 
Culotte, or une fameuse pltte) ; 
se f oncer ; se grinier ; segrisotter ; 
mettre son nez dans le bleu ; se 
mettre en dedans ; se mouiller ; 
se paffer ; se payer ; sefincer(<yc 
se pincer un coup de strop or le 
tasseau) ; se piquer le nez (le 
tasseau, or le tube} ; se poc -harder ; 
se poisser ; se poivr otter ; se 
pommader ; prendre son allumette 
de campagne (or une barbe) ; rant- 
ponner ; se salir le nez ; schni- 
quer ; se schlosser ; se sculpter 
une guende de bois ; slasser ; se 
tinter ; ne pas trouver son niveau ; 
voir en dedans. 

1837. BARHAM, Ing. Leg., ' Witches' 
Frolic. Like a four-bottle man in a 
company SCREW'D, Not firm on his legs, 
but by no means subdued. 

1841. Punch, i. 278. We had a great 
night in London before I started, only I 
got rascally SCREWED : not exactly sewed 
up, you know, but hit under the wing, so 
that I could not well fly. 

1843. DICKENS, Martin Ckuzzlewit, 
xxv. She was only a little SCREWED. 

1850. SMEDLEY, Frank Fairlegh, 
133. If any of our party were in the con- 
dition expressed by the mysterious word 
SCREWED, it certainly was Lawless himself. 

185 . THACKERAY, Newcomes, xlvii. 
Blest if I didn't nearly drive her into a 
wegetable cart. I was so uncommon 

SCRUEY ! 

1871. All Year Round, 18 Feb., 288. 
Awfully SCREWED. Been keeping it up 
with a fast lot at Gypsum. 

1895. Reynolds, 18 Aug., 4, 7. A 
witness suggested that the prisoners were 
too drunk to know what they were doing. 



Mr. Gray : No. We admit being a little 
bit SCREWED, but we were not so bad as all 
that. 

SCRIBBLER'S- LUCK, subs. phr. 
(common). See quot. 

1808. Pelican, 3 Dec., n, 2. His 
purse is pretty full ; mine, worse luck, is 
almost empty. SCRIBBLER'S LUCK, an 
empty purse and a full hand. 

SCRIBE. See ONE-EYED SCRIBE. 

SCRIMSHANKER, subs, (military). 
A loafer : cf. BLOODSUCKER ; 
whence SCRIMSHANK = to shirk 
duty. 

SCRIMSHAW (or SCRIMSHANDER), 

subs, (nautical). See quots. Also 
SCRIMSHON and SCRIMSHORN. 

18 [?]. Fisheries of U.S., v. ii. 231-2. 
SCRIMSHAWING . . . is the art, if art it be, 
of manufacturing useful and ornamental 
articles at sea. . . . We find handsome 
writing desks, toilet boxes, and work-boxes 
made of foreign woods, inlaid with hun- 
dreds of other pieces of precious woods of 
various shapes and shades. 

1883. C. RUSSELL, Sailors' Lan- 
guagc, s.v. SCRIMSHANDY. An Ameri- 
canism signifying the objects in ivory or 
bone carved by whalemen during their long 
voyages. 



SCRIP, subs, (old). See quot. and 
BLOT THE SCRIP (GROSE). 

.1696. B. E., Diet. Cant. Crew, s.v. 
SCRIP, c. a shred or scrap of paper. ' As 
the Cully did freely blot the SCRIP, and 
sipt me 40 Hogs,' c. one enter'd into Bond 
with me for 40 Shillings. 

SCROBY. TO BE TIPPED THE 

SCROBY (or CLAWS) FOR BREAK- 
FAST, verb phr. (old). ' To be 
whipped before the justices' 
(GROSE). 

SCROOF (or SCROOFER), subs. 
(American). A parasite : zsverb 

TO SPONGE (y.V.~). 

SCROPE, suds, (old). A farthing: 
see RHINO (HALL, GROSE). 



Scrouger. 



132 



Scrub. 



SCROUGER, subs. (American). 
Anything exceptional in size, 
quality, capacity, &c. 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life, 106. 
The gals among em warn't any on your 
pigeon creators ... but real SCROUGERS 
any on 'em over fourteen could lick a bar 
easy. 

c. 1852. Traits of A mer. Humour, 265. 
A drum, and a regular SCROUGER at that. 

SCROUPERIZE, verb, (venery). To 
copulate : see GREENS and RIDE 
(RABELAIS). 

SCROYLE, subs. (old). A diseased 
wretch: Fr. ^crouelles King's- 
evil. 

1596. SHAKSPEARE, King John, H. 2. 
By heaven, these SCKOYLES of Angiers 
flout you, kings. 

1596. JONSON, Ev. Man, i. i. To 
be a consort for every humdrum ; hang 'em, 
SCROVLES ! there is nothing in them in the 
world. Ibid. (1601), Poetaster, iv. 3. A 
better, prophane rascal ! I cry thee mercy, 
my good SCROILE, wast thou? 

SCRUB, subs, (old colloquial). 
Any mean, or ill-conditioned per- 
son, or thing ; as adj. = paltry, 
mean : also SCRUBBED, and 
SCRUBBY ; SCRUB-RACE = a con- 
test between contemptible ani- 
mals ; after FARQUHAR and The 
Beaux' Stratagem (1707). 
B. E., GROSE. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, Mer. of Venice, 
v. i, 162. A little SCRUBBED boy No higher 
than myself. 

1621. BURTON, Anat. of Mel. (1836) 
I. ii. in. xv. 201. Or if they keep their 
wits, yet they are esteemed SCRUBS and 
fools, by reason of their carriage. 

1634. WITHAL, Diet. [NARES]. Pro- 
mus magis quam condus : he is none of 
these miserable SCRUBS, but a liberall gen- 
tleman. 

.1696. B. E., Diet. Cant. Crew, s.v. 
SCRUB, a Ragamuffin. 

1706. WARD, HudibrasRedivivus, I. 
vi. 6. Each member of the holy club, 
From lofty saint, to lowly SCRUB. Ibid. 
i. x. 10. Mounted on SCRUBS that us'd to 
Scour, Upon a Trot, eight Miles an Hour. 



1730. SWIFT, Traulus, i. The 
SCRUBBIEST cur in all the pack Can set the 
mastiff on your back. Ibid., Stella } xxviii 
He finds some sort of SCRUB acquaintance. 

1731. FIELDING, Letter Writers, ii. 
3. i. Wh. You stoop to us, SCRUB ! 
2. Wh, You a lord 1 You are some attor- 
ney's clerk, or haberdasher's 'prentice. 
Ibid. (1749), Tom Jones, vm. iii. He is 
an errant SCRUB, I assure you. 

i^x. SMOLLETT, Peregrine Pickle, 
Ixxxvii. You are worse than a dog, you 
old flinty-faced, flea-bitten SCRUB. 

1766. GOLDSMITH, Vicar of Wake~ 
field, x. We should go there in as proper 
a manner as possible ; not altogether like 
the SCRUBS about us. 

1814. AUSTEN, Mansfield Park, xxv. 
I could not expect to be welcome in such a 
smart place as that poor SCRUBBY mid- 
shipman as I am. 

1843. DICKENS, Martin Chuzzlewit, 
xxxv. No SCRUBS would do for no such a 
purpose. Nothing less would satisfy our 
Directors than our member in the House 
of Commons. 

1848. THACKERAY, Book or Snobs, 
xviii. A scRUBBY-looking, yellow-faced 
foreigner. 

1852. L' Allegro: As Good as a 
Comedy, 109. There was to be a SCRUB 
race for sweepstakes, in which more than 
twenty horses had been already entered. 

1 86 1. BRADDON, Trail of the Ser- 
pent, i. iv. The dumb man was a mere 
SCRUB, one of the very lowest of the police- 
force. Ibid. (1868), Dead Sea Fruit, xxiii. 
I told you I knew a handy SCRUB of a man, 
good at picking up any out-of-the-way book 
I may happen to want. 

1883. ROOSEVELT [Century, xxxvi. 
200]. We got together a SCRUB wagon 
team of four as unkempt, dejected, and 
vicious-looking broncos as ever stuck fast 
in a quicksand. 

2. (American Univ.). A ser- 
vant. 

Verb. (Christ's Hospital).!. 
To write fast: e.g., ' SCRUB it 
down.' Also as subs. = hand- 
writing. [Lat. scriberc.] See 
STRIVE. 

2. (colloquial). To drudge. 



Scrubbado. 



'33 



Scuddick. 



SCRUBBADO, subs. (old). The itch 
(B. E., GROSE). 

SCRUBBER, subs. (Australian). See 
quot. 

1859. KINGSLEY, Geojffry Hamlyn, 
xxix. The Captain was getting in the 
SCRUBBERS, cattle which had been left, 
under the not very careful rule of the 
Donovans, to run wild in the mountains. 

SCRUBBING, subs. (Winchester: 
obsolete). A flogging of four 
cuts : see Public School Word 
Book. 

.1840. MANSFIELD, School Life, 109. 
The ordinary punishment was called 
SCRUBBING ... for a more serious breach 
of duty a flogging of six cuts was ad- 
ministered. 

1864. Blaekwootfs Mag., xcv. 79. 
The place of execution where delinquents 
are bibled ... six cuts . . . four being 
the sum of a ... SCRUBBING. 

SCRUBBING-BRUSH, subs. phr. 
(venery). The pubic hair : see 
FLEECE. 

SCRUDGE, subs, (provincial). A 
harlot : see TART. 

SCRUFF, subs, (colonial). See quot. 

1870. Montreal News {Figaro, 25 
Nov.. 'Codland Habits.' The best society 
is called 'merchantable,' that being the 
term for fish of the best quality ; while the 
lowest stratum is ' SCRUFF ' or ' dun.' 

Verb. (old). To hang: see 
LADDER. 

SCRUMPTIOUS, adj. and adv. (col- 
loquial) First-class ; nice ; fas- 
tidious. 

1835. HALIBURTON, Clockmaker, 
i S., xxiii. A little tidy, SCRUMPTIOUS- 
looking sleigh, a real clipper of a horse. 

1841. LEMAN REDE, Sixteen String 
Jack, hi. 5. Will you dance, Christopher, 
my SCRUMTIOUS pet? 

1870. JUDD, Margaret, 304. I don't 
want to be SCRUMPTIOUS, judge ; but I do 
want to be a man. 



1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms l xx. We had a SCRUMPTIOUS feed 
that night. 

1891. Lie. Viet. Gaz., 33 Jan. 
SCRUMPTIOUS girls who danced at the 
Alcazar. 

1900. KIPLING, Stalky &> Co., 7. 
' Isn't it SCRUMPTIOUS? Good old sea ! ' 

SCRUNCH, subs, (colloquial). i. A 
hard bite ; a crushing blow ; and 
(figuratively) a complete effect of 
tyranny ; as verb. = to crush, 
to grind down, to squeeze ; 

SCRUNCHER = a glutton. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., n. 
566. I ... SCRUNTCHED myself into a 
doorway, and the policeman passed four or 
five times without seeing on me. 

1863. DICKENS, Mutual Friend, in. 
v. It's the same . . . with the footmen. 
I have found out that you must either 
SCRUNCH them, or let them SCRUNCH you. 

1869. STOWE, Oldtown, 480. We 
. . . shouted ' Hurrah for old Heber 1 ' as 
his load of magnificent oak . . . came 
SCRUNCHING into the yard. 

1888. Fort. Rev., N.S., xliii. 627. 
At each step there is a SCRUNCH of human 
bones. 

SCUD, subs, (common). (i) A fast 
runner; and (2) a HOT SPIN 
(y.v.). 

1857. HUGHES, Tout Brown's School- 
days, i. v. I say ... you ain't a bad 
SCUD. 

2. (American). In //. = 
money : see RHINO. 

Verb, (old). 'To Sail, Ride, 
or Run very fast ' (B. E. , c. 1696). 

SCUDDICK, subs. (old). The 
smallest item of value (HALLI- 
WELL) : see quot. 1823. 

1823. BEE, Diet. Turf, s.v. SCUD- 
DICK is used negatively; 'not a SCUD- 
DICK 'not any brads, not a win, empty 
dies. ' Every SCUDDICK gone ' ; 'she gets 
not a SCUDDICK from me-' does not amend 
the matter from repetition. 



Scuff. 



134 



Scumber. 



1843. MONCRIEFF, Scamps of Lon- 
don, i. i. Hasn't a mag left not a SCUD- 
DICK is obliged to live on his wits. 

SCUFF, subs, (thieves'). A crowd. 

1879. Mactn. Mag:, xl. 501. This 
got a SCUFF round us. 

1888. SIMS, Plank -Bed Ballad 
[Referee, 12 Feb.]. A SCUFF came about 
me and hollared. 

SCUFFLE - HUNTER, subs. phr. 
(obsolete). See quot. 

1797. Police of the Met., 54. Those 
who are distinguished by the nickname of 
SCUFFLE-HUNTERS prowl about the wharfs, 
quays and warehouses under pretence of 
asking employment as porters and 
labourers, but their chief object is to 
pillage and plunder whatever comes in 
their way. 

SCUFTER, subs, (provincial). See 
quot. 

1886. Graphic, 30 Jan., 130, i. In 
the North a constable is or was known as 
a SCUFTER and a " bulky." 

SCUG, subs. (Eton and Harrow). 
A SNEAK (q.v.); a play-CAD 



1880. C. T. BUCKLAND, Eton Fifty 
Years Ago. Bathing was always in great 
favour with the Eton boys. A boy who 
did not bathe was called a SCUG. 

1889. DRAGE, Cyril, vii. Such a 
little SKUG, to use a word in use at my 
tutor's. 

SCULDUDDERY (or SKULDUGGERY), 

subs. (old). Bawdry ; also as 
adj. 

1717. CENTLIVRE, The Wonder, iii. 
3. % Gitby. To run three hundred mile to 
this wicked town, and, before I can well 
fill my weam, to be sent a whorehunting 
after this black she-devil ! . . . there's na 
sic honest people here, or there wud na be 
sa mickle SCULDUDKIE. 

1818. SCOTT, Midlothian, xvi. Can 
find out naething but a wee bit SCUL- 
DUDDERY. 

^1890. Scots Observer, 23 Aug., 346. 
Living in a state of liquor and SKUL- 

DUDDERV. 



SCULL, subs. (University). i. The 
head (or master) of a College 
(GROSE). Hence SCULL- RACE = 
an examination. 

2. (colloquial). In //. = a 
waterman using a pair of sculls or 
short OARS (y.v.). GROSE. 

c.i 704. [ASHTON, Sac. Life in Reign 
ofQ. Anne, n. 144.] A cry of next ' Oars ' 
or ' SCULLS ' ! 

3. (old). ' A one-horse chaise 
or buggy' (GROSE). 

SCULLERY-SCIENCE, subs. phr. 
(obsolete). Phrenology. 

1836. CHORLEY, Mem. Mrs. Hetnans, 
\. 255. I did very much aggravate the 
phrenologist lately by laughing at the 
whole SCULLERY SCIENCE and its votaries. 

SCULL-THATCHER, subs. phr. (com- 
mon), i. A wig-maker (GROSE) ; 
and (2) a hatter : see NOB- 

THATCHER. 

SCULPIN, subs. (American). 'A 
mean or mischief-making fellow 
[Local slang, New Eng.]' (Cen- 
tury). 

SCUM, sufis. (old : now recognised). 
' The Riff- Raff, or Tagrag and 
Long-tail' (B. E., GROSE). 

Adv. (old). Enough (Street 
Robberies Considered, 20). 

SCUMBER (or SCUMMER), subs. 
(old). Excrement : as verb. to 
defecate (CoTGRAVE, 1611, s.v. 
Chier). 

1598. FLORID, Worlds of Wordes, 
s.v. Chinchimurra ... A SKAMMERING 
of a dog. 

[?]. Ulysses upon Ajax, B.6. Th 
picture of a fellow in a square cap 
SCUMMERING at a privy. 

1630. MASSINGER, Picture, v. i. 
Just such a one as you use to a brace of 
greyhounds, When they are led out of their 
kennels to SCUMBER. 



Scumble. 



135 



Scuttle. 



1658. Musar. Del. , f On Epsom 
Wells.' Old Ops ... Is yellow, not with 
summer, But safronised with mortal 

SCUMMER. 

SCUMBLE, verb, (artists'). To 
glaze a picture. 

SCURF, subs, (common). 5V^quot. 
1851. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab,, i. 
20. They . . . burst out into one ex- 
pression of disgust. "There's a SCURF!" 
said one ; " He's a regular scab," cried 
another. Ibid., ii. 262. The Saxon 
Sceorfa, which is the original of the Eng- 
lish SCURF, means a scab, and scab is the 
term given to the "cheap men" in the 
shoemaking trade. Scab is the root of our 
word Shabby, hence SCURF and Scab, 
deprived of their offensive associations, 
both mean shabby fellows. 

1870. LONGFELLOW, Dante's Inferno, 
xv. in. That wretched crowd ... If 
thou had hadst an hankering for such 

SCURF. 

Verb, (thieves'). To arrest; 
to lay hold of (GROSE, VAUX). 

SCURRICK, subs. (Old Cant). A 
halfpenny (GROSE) : see RHINO. 

SCURRY, subs, (racing). See quot. : 

cf. SCAB-RACE. 

1889. KRIK, Guide to the Turf. In 
sporting [SCURRY] a short race run for 
amusement by inferior horses or non- 
winners. 

1902. HEADON HILL, Caged, xv. It 
would have been all right if I hadn't been 
welshed over the last SCURRY. 

SCUT, subs, (venery). I. The 
female pudendum : see MONO- 
SYLLABLE ; and (2) the pubic 
hair : see FLEECE (GROSE). 

1596. SHAKSPEARE, Merry Wives, v. 
5, 20. My doe with the black SCUT. 

1664. COTTON, Virgil Travestie (ist 
ed.), 104. And likewise there was finely 
put, A Cushion underneath her SCUT. 

.1705. Broadside Song, ' Oyster Nan ' 
{FARMER, Merry Songs and Ballads 
(1897), i. 177]. Come in, says he, you silly 
Slut, I'll lay the Itching of your SCUT. 



1720. DURFEY, Pills, vi. 198. With 
her breast she does butt, and she bubs up 
her SCUT Wheu the bullets fly close by her 
ear. 

1730. Broadside Song, 'Gee Ho, 
Dobbin,' 5. I rumpl'd her Feathers, and 
tickl'd her SCUTT. 

SCUTE, subs, (old). (i) A small 
coin : hence a low standard. 

1596. NASH, Letter [NARES]. Worse 
than a SCUTE or a dandiprat. 

!$[?]. FORTESCUE, Dijf. Between 
Absolute and Limited Monarchy [NARES]. 
Sum . . . that was wonte to pay ... a 
SCUTE, payyth now . . . over that SCUTE, 
fyve SKUTS. 

SCUTTLE, subs. (old). i. An 
affected gait (see quot. 1704); 
(2) a hasty move ; a BOLT (q.v.) : 
as verb. = (i) to run off (B. E. 
and GROSE). 

c.i 704. [AsHTON, Social Life, <&*<:., i. 
92], Shut myself in my Chamber, prac- 
tised Lady Betty Modely's SCUTTLE. 

.1711. Spectator\Century\. She went 
with an easy SCUTTLE out of the shop. 

<a?.i797. WALPOLE, Letters, u. 476. I 
have no inclination to SCUTTLE barefoot 
after a Duke of Wolfenbuttle's army. 

1841. THACKERAY, Comic Tales, n. 
164. But, oh horror 1 a scream was heard 
from Miss Binse who was seen SCUTTLING 
at double-quick time towards the school- 
house. 

1869. BROWNING, Ring and Book, \. 
286. No ... viper of the brood shall 

SCUTTLE OFF. 

1872. Brighton Daily News, 4 Sep. 
The infant SCUTTLED into existence about 
midday. 

1875. W. H. KINGSTON, South Sea 
Whaler, xiv. SCUTTLING away at a rapid 
rate. 

Verb. (Christ's Hospital, Hert- 
ford). 2. To cry out, under 
oppression, to attract the atten- 
tion of the authorities. Hence 

SCUTTLE-CAT = one who SCUT- 
TLES (obsolete). 



Scuttling. 



136 



Sea. 



3. (venery). To deflower. 
Hence, TO SCUTTLE A SHIP = to 
take a maidenhead. 

4. (thieves'). To stab. 

To SCUTTLE A NOB, verb. phr. 
(pugilists'). To break a head. 

tf.iBxi. MAKER, Night before Larry 
was Stretched. I'll SCUTTLE YOUR NOB 
with my fist. 

1818. RANDALL, On R.'s fight with 
Turner. As be offered to SCUTTLE A NOB 
o'er again. 

ON THE SCUTTLE, phr. (com- 

mon). On a round of drinking 
or whoring. 

SCUTTLING, subs. (Manchester). 
See quots. 

1690. D. Telegraph, 13 Dec. 'SCUTT- 
LING in Lancashire. SCUTTLING was 
a practice very prevalent within the county 
of Lancaster. The offence was committed 
by a body of young persons, male and 
female, belonging to one part of the city, 
who had a real or fancied grievance 
against another similar body of persons 
from an adjacent part. The opposing 
forces were armed with belts with large 
buckles to them, knives, pokers, stones, 
and the like, and the mobs so armed 
turned out at times for a regular affray, 
and inflicted serious injuries upon one 
another. Not only did these roughs enter 
into conflict with others of a similar class, 
but they frequently attacked unoffending 
passers-by. 

18 [?]. Lancet^ 3499, 643. Manchester 
is becoming notorious for a form of street 
ruffianism known locally as SCUTTLING. It 
consists of gangs of youths going about 
certain districts ostensibly to fight with 
similar gangs of adjacent districts. 

SCUTTLE-MOUTH, subs. phr. (cos- 
ters'). See quot. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Lend. Lab., i. 
77. The "big trade" was unknown until 
1848, when the very large shelly oysters, 
the fish inside being very small, were 
introduced from the Sussex coast. The 
eostermongers distinguished them by the 
name of SCUTTLE-MOUTHS. 



SEA. AT SEA, adv. phr. (col- 
loquial). Puzzled; WIDE ($.v.) : 
ff. HALF-SEAS-OVER. 

1864. Comhill Mag., Nov., 577. 
1 What is he ? ' I asked, still more AT SEA. 

1889. Polytechnic Ma?., 24 Oct., 263. 
For the first ten minutes the B's were all 
AT SEA on the rough and peculiarly shaped 
ground. 



PHRASES AND COMBINA- 
TIONS. SEA-CRAB = a sailor 
(GROSE) ; SEA-DOG = (i) a priva- 
teer (temp. Eliz. ), and (2) a sailor : 
spec, an old SALT (q.v.) ; SEA- 
GALLOPER = a special correspon- 
dent ; SEA-GROCER = a purser ; 
SEA - LAWYER = (i) a shark 
(GROSE), and (2) a captious or 
scheming fo'csle hand : whence 
SEA-LA WYERING= argument with 
officers ; SEA-LEGS = ability to 
walk the deck of a rolling ship 
without staggering ; SEA-WAG = 
an ocean-going vessel ; SEA-RAT 
(old) = a pirate : cf. RIVER-RAT ; 
SEA-ROVER = a herring : see AT- 
LANTIC RANGER; SON OF A 
SEA-COOK a nautical term of 
abuse ; SEA-CONNIE (or CUNNIE) 
= (i) the helmsman on an Indian 
trader, and (2) = a Lascar quarter- 
master (CLARK RUSSELL) ; SEA- 
COAL = money. 

.1835. DANA, Before the Mast, ii. 
I had not got my SEA LEGS on, was dread- 
fully sick . . . and it was pitch dark. 

1836. SCOTT, Cringle's Lo?, xvi. 
Ay, you supercilious SON OF A SEA-COOK, 
you may turn up your nose at the expres- 
sion. 

1864. KINGSLEY, Hillyars, xxiv. It 
made her stand firmer on her . . . had I 
been speaking of an English duchess I 
would have said her SEA LEGS. 

1874. GREEN, Short Hist., 406. The 
Channel swarmed with SEA-DOGS . . . who 
accepted letters of marque from the Prince 
ofConde. 



Seal. 



137 



Secesh. 



1850. Spectator, 3 May, Rev. of 
' Slang and its Analogues.' . . . The ex- 
traordinary ' bouncer ' that a very common 
request at Lockhart's coffee-houses in Lon- 
don is for ' a doorstep and a SEA-ROVER.' 

1899. WHITEIKG, John St., xi. At 
the words ' doorsteps and SEA-ROVER,' the 
man at the bar produces a slice of bread 
and a herring. 

1899. HYNE, Furth. Adv. Captain 
Cuttle, v. Robinson's a SEA-LAWYER, is 
he ? Courts, he talks about. 

1901. Referee, 7 Ap., i, 2. Great 
care should be exercised so as to minimise 
chances of their being able to take two 
chances for their money, one in the game 
and the other by ' SEA-LA WYERING.' 

1901. A rmy and Navy Gaz. , 13 July, 
683, 2. Whether these SEA-GALLOPERS 
to use Lord Spencer's historical designation 
in the battleships will be able to see 
much of the fun is, we should imagine, 
doubtful. 

SEAL, subs, (clerical). I. See quot. 

1853. DEAN CoNYBEAREj.Erfm. /?/., 
Oct, 295, note]. A preacher is said in this 
phraseology to be owned when he makes 
many converts, and his converts are called 
bis SEALS. 

2. (American). See quot. 

1850-1. STANSBURY, Salt Lake Exp. , 
136. In Mormon phraseology, all wives 
taken after the first are called spiritual 
wives, and are said to be SEALED to the 
husband . . . under the solemn sanction of 
the church, and in all respects, in the same 
relation to the man as the wife that was 
first married. 

3. (venery). --In//. =the testes : 
see CODS. 

Verb, (venery). To impreg- 
nate; TO SEW UP (q.V.). 

SEALER, subs, (old).' One that 
gives Bonds and Judgments for 
Goods and Money Y (B. E., 
GROSE) : see SQUEEZE- WAX. 

SEAM. See WHITE-SEAM. 

SEAR, subs, (old). The female pu- 
dendum : see MONOSYLLABLE, &c. 
[Properly the touch-hole of a pis- 
tol.] Hence LIGHT (or TICKLE) 
OF THE SERE = wanton ; fond of 
bawdy laughter (HALLIWELL). 



I ? J Commune Secretary and 
Jalowsye [HALLIWELL]. She that is fayre, 
lusty, and yonge, And can comon in termes 
wyth fyled tonge, And wyll abyde whys- 
perynge in the care, Thynke ye her tayle 

IS not LYGHTE OF THE SEARE. 

1596. SHAKSPEARE, Hamlet, u. a, 
336. The clown shall make those laugh 
whose lungs are TICKLE OF THE SERE. 

1620. HOWARD Defensative [DoucE, 
ii. 230]. Moods and humours of the vulgar 
sort . . . loose and TICKLE OF THE SEARE. 

SEASON, verb, (venery). -r-See quot. , 
GREENS and RIDE. 

1559. ELIOTE, Diet. Adntissura, 
SEASONING of a cow, and coverynge of a 
mare. 



SEAT. See BACK-SEAT. 

SEAT - OF - HONOUR (SHAME or 
VENGEANCE), subs. phr. (com- 
mon). The posteriors. 

1725. BAILEY, Erasmus, 225. A 
question . . . the most honourable part of 
a man ? One . . . made answer . . . the 
. . . part we sit upon ; . . . when every 
one cried out that was absurd, he backed it 
with this reason, that he was commonly 
accounted the most honourable that was 
first seated, and that this honour was com- 
monly done to the part that he spoke of. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 169. My SEAT OF VENGEANCE 
was firked most unmercifully. 

r/.i796. WOLCOT, Pair of Lyric Epis- 
ties [Works (Dublin, 1795)) 424]- Be- 
hold him seiz'd, his SEAT OF HONOUR bare. 

1821. COOMBE, Syntax, HI. 2. While 
with his spade the conqueror plied, Stroke 
after stroke, the SEAT OF SHAME, Which 
blushing Muses never name. 

1836. MARRYAT, Midshipman Easy, 
xviii. 'The bullet having passed through 
his SEAT OF HONOUR, from his having pre- 
sented his broadside as a target to the 
boatswain. 

1856. Punch, xxxi. 213, 2. Now I 

can vouch that, from the earliest ages to 

. . those of the present head-master, they 

have, one and all, appealed to the vry 

SEAT OF HONOR. 

SECESH. See BLUE BELLIES. 



Second. 



138 



See. 



SECOND. See Bow, CHOP, FIDDLE 
(adding quot. infra), and STRING. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 378. I am quite at your service to 
play SECOND FIDDLE in all your laudable 
enterprises. 

SECOND PEAL. See PEAL. 

SECOND-TIMER, subs. phr. (prison). 
A prisoner twice convicted. 

SECRET, phr. (old). LET INTO 
THE SECRET : * When one is drawn 
in at Horse-racing, Cock-fighting, 
Bowling, and other Sports or 
Games, and Bit.' (B. E. and 
GROSE.) 

IN THE GRAND SECRET,/^. 
(colloquial). Dead (GROSE). 

SEDGLEY-CURSE, subs. phr. (old). 
See quots. 

1632. MASSINGER, City Madam, ii. 
2. May the great fiend, booted and 
spurred, With a sithe at his girdle, as the 
Scotchman says, Ride headlong down her 
throat. 

1633. FLETCHER, Tamer Tamed, v. 
2. A SEDGLY CURSE light on him, which 
is, Pedro, The fiend ride through him 
booted and spurred With a sythe at his 
back. 

1636. SUCKLING, Goblins, i. i. Now 
the SEDGLY CURSE upon thee, And the 
great fiend ride through thee Booted and 
spurr'd, with a scythe on his neck. 



d.i66o. HOWELL [RAY, Proverbs, Staf- 
fordshire. The devil, &c. . . . This is 
SEDGELY CURSE. Mr. Howel.} 

SEE, stibs. (common). In//. =the 
eyes (GROSE). Also SEER = the 
eye. 

1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 3 [Note]. 
To close up their eyes alias, to sew up 
their SEES. 

1827. LYTTON, Paul Clifford, Ixxxii. 
Strike me blind if my SEES don't tout your 
bingo muns in spite of the darkmans. 



2, (American). A sight ; a 
glance. 

Verb, (colloquial). I. To be- 
lieve ; to credit ; to consent : e.g. , 
' I don't SEE that.' 

1882. ANSTEY, Vice-Versa, iii. If I 
were to go back to my governor now, he 
wouldn't SEE it. It would put him in no 
end of a bait. 

2. (prostitutes' ). To copulate : 

also TO SEE STARS LYING ON 

ONE'S BACK. 

PHRASES. To SEE IT OUT = 
(i) to finish a matter, (2) to keep 
up a carouse, and (3) to come to 
an understanding, or know the 
reason why ; TO SEE ONE 
THROUGH = to help to a finish; 
TO SEE A MAN = to have 
a drink; TO SEE THE DEVIL = 
to get tipsy : see SCREWED ; TO 
SEE THE BACK OF=to get rid of; 
TO SEE ONE COMING = to impose 
on ; TO SEE DOUBLE = (i) to be 
drunk (see SCREWED), and (2) to 
squint ; TO SEE ONE'S AUNT 
= to. evacuate : see BURY A 
QUAKER ; TO SEE AS FAR INTO 

A MILLSTONE (or MILESTONE) AS 
. . .= to be as able or cute as . . . ; 
TO SEE STARS (SPOTS or CANDLES) 

= to be dazed : spec, from a 
blow. Also see BRICKWALL, 
ELEPHANT, SHOW, &c. 

1546. HEYWOOD, Proverbs. She had 

SEENE FAR IN A MILSTONE. 

1628. EARLE, Micro-cosmog., ii. 
His eyes like a drunkard's SEE all DOUBLE. 

1692. DRYDEN, Juvenal, vi. When 
vapours to their swimming brains advance, 
And DOUBLE tapers on their tables dance. 

1710. CONGREVE, Art of Love. From 
all intemperance keep, Nor drink till you 
SEE DOUBLE, lisp, or sleep. 

1716. ADDISON, Freeholder, 22. I 
had a mind to SEE him OUT, and therefore 
did not care for contradicting him. 



Seed. 



139 



Seek. 



1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias (1812), x. 
x. Falling into a passion he gave me half- 
a-dozen boxes on the face . . . that 
made me SEE more CANDLES than ever 
burnt in Solomon's temple. Ibid. (1751), 
Peregrine Pickle, c. Notwithstanding the 
disgrace and discouragement they had met 
with in their endeavours to serve our ad- 
venturer, they were still resolved to perse- 
vere in their good offices, or, in the vulgar 
phrase, to SEE him OUT. 

1857. DICKENS, Xmas Stories (Perils 
of Prisoners), (Household ed.), 46. We 
SAW OUT all the drink that was produced, 
like good men and true, and then took our 
leaves, and went down to the beach. 

SEED, subs, (venery). The semen : 
see SPENDINGS. Hence SEED- 
PLOT (or SEED-LAND) = the female 
pudendum : see MONOSYLLABLE ; 
RUN TO SEED = pregnant, LUMPY 
If.*) 

1555. A Pore Helpe, 84. They saye 
ye leade euyll lyues With other mennes 
wyues . . . And so your SEDE is sowne 
In other mennes grounde. 

1656. FLETCHER, Martiall, xi. 105. 
The Phrygian Boyes in secret spent their 
SEED As oftas Hector's wife rid on his steed. 

1719. DURFEY, Pills, Hi. 107. For 
there where other gardeners here been 
sowing their SEED . . . 

1865. SWINBURNE, Atalanta in 
Calydon, \oj. Thou, I say Althea, since 
my father's ploughshare, drawn Through 
fatal SEEDLAND of a female field, Furrowed 
thy body. 

RUN TO SEED, adv. phr. (collo- 
quial). I. Shabby ; gone off the 
bloom; SEEDY (q.v.). 

1837. DICKENS, Pickwick Papers 
(1857),' 20. Large boots RUNNING rapidly 

TO SEED. 

1891. Ally Slower, 4 Ap. He had 
RUN very much TO SEED : there was no 
gloss on his hat or boots, but any amount 
of it on the sleeves of his coat. 

SEEDY, adj. and adv. (colloquial). 
Generic for depreciation = (i) 
weak or out-of-sorts in health, 

(2) worn or out at elbows in dress, 

(3) poor in pocket, (4) suspicious or 
shady in character (GROSE). 
Hence, SEEDINESS. 



1743- FIELDING, Jonathan Wild, 
i. xii. However SEEDY Mr. Bagshot may 
be now . . . when he is in cash, you may 
depend on a restoration. 

1768. GOLDSMITH, Good Natured 
Man, iii. Little Flanigan here, to be 
sure, has ... a very good face ; but then, 
he is a little SEEDY, as we say among us 
that practise the law. 

1789. PARKER, Bunter's Christening 
\ Life's Painter]. A queer procession of 
SEEDY brims and kids. 

1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 27. The 
Prince of Rag Rhino, who stood . . . bail 
for the SEEDY Right Liners. 

1835. FISHER, Garland. Oh, let 
my hat be e'er sae brown, My coat be e'er 
sae SEEDY, O 1 

1840. LYTTON, Paul Clijjord, vi. 
You look cursed SEEDY to be sure. 

1854. MARTIN and AYTOUN, Bon 
Gualtier Ballads, ' The Knight, &c.' I 
feel extremely SEEDY, Languishing in vile 
duresse. 

1857-9. THACKERAY, Virginians, 
ix. A SEEDY raff who has gone twice or 
thrice into the Gazette. 

1864. Tangled Talk, 169. One of 
the flattering unctions that I lay to my 
soul when it strikes me that I am becom- 
ing morally SEEDY is, that I have not lost 
the child's capacity for wonder. 

1873. BLACKIE, Self-culture, 74. 
What is called SEEDINESS, after a de- 
bauch, is a plain proof that nature has 
been outraged, and will have her penalty. 

1883. D. Telegraph, 6 Jan., 6, x. 
Gradually his habiliments become what 
is vulgarly but expressively termed SEEDY. 

1893. EMERSON, Lippo, xvi. The 
'oss is very bad and very SEEDY. 

1899. POT and SWEARS, Scarlet 
City, 119. I've sent a wire to old Dibbler 
the stage manager to say I'm SEEDY. 

SEEK. To SEEK OTHERS AND 
LOSE ONESELF, verb. phr. (old 
colloquial). See quot. 

1598. FLORIO, Worlde of Wordes, 
s.v. Lanternare ... to play the foole, 
TO SEEKE OTHERS AND LOOSE HIMSELFE. 



Seek-sorrow. 



140 



Semper. 



SEEK-SORROW (or -TROUBLE), subs, 
phr. (old). A whining malcon- 
tent. 

1580. SIDNEY, Arcadia, i. Afield 
they go, where many lookers be, And thou 
SEEK'SORROw Claius them among, 

1902. DAUDET, 6"/Ao [FARMER], xi. 
She was a SEKK-SORKOW, a sappy mope> 
ster, a poor gutless doll. 

SEELCY'S PIGS, subs. phr. (nauti- 
cal). Pig iron in Government 
dockyards. [Some of the yards 
were half paved with pigs, which 
waste was brought to public 
notice by Mr. Seeley, M.P. for 
Lincoln.] 

SEE-SAW, subs. phr. (gaming). A 
double RUFF (y.v.) j a SAW (q.v.) : 
at whist. 

SEGGON, suds, (old colloquial). A 
term of contempt : spec, a poor 
labourer. Also SEG-HEAD = a 
blockhead ; SEG-KITE = an over- 
grown and greedy person [HALLI- 
WELL]. 

1557. TUSSER, Hvsbandrie, 174. 
Poore SEGGONS halfe staured worke faintly 
and dull. 



1605. JONSON, Volpone, Argument. 
New tricks for safety are sought ; they 
thrive : when bold, each tempts the other 
again, and all are SOLD. 

1850. SMEDLEY, Frank Fairlegh, 
245. He called it . . . ' no end of a some* 

thing or other' "SELL," suggested 

Freddy. Ibid. (1851), Lewis Arundel, 
xxiv. You're not going to try and cut out 
Bellefield ... are you? I wish you would, 
it would SELL Bell so beautifully. 

1856. (Tales from Blackwood) Dreef- 
daily Burghs, 2. I had been idiot enough 
to make my debut in the sporting world 
. . . and as a matter of course, was re* 
morselessly SOLD by my advisers. 

1864. Glasgow Citizen, 10 Dec. Peo- 
ple pretend to have read Spenser and 
Chaucer, and it is rude ... to SELL the 
affable pretender by getting him to remem 
ber non-existent passages and minor poems. 

1874. MRS. H. WOOD, Johnny Lud- 
low, i S., xxvi., 465. It's an awful SELL 
... no hunting, and no shooting, and 
no nothing. 

1883. D. News, 18 Ap. 5, 4. Lord 
Randolph Churchill has been making Mr. 
Gladstone the victim of what, in ... 
Addison's time, would have been called a 
BITE, and what in ... our own time is 
called a SELL. 

1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Artns, x. Some day he'll SELL us all, I 
really do believe. 

1891. Lie. Viet. Gaz. 16 Jan. But 
suppose that he should take our money 
and SELL us. 



, subs, (common). -A successful 
hoax ; a swindle : see GAMMON. 
As verb. = to betray ; to impose 
on ; to swindle ; see BARGAIN. 
Whence TO SELL A PUP 

= tO fool ; TO BE SOLD LIKE 
A BULLOCK IN SMITHFIELD 

(GROSE) = ' to fall badly by 
treachery ' ; SOLD AGAIN ! = 
DONE! (g.v.) t 

1597. SHAKESPEARE, Rich. III. v. 
3. Jockey of Norfolk, be not so bold, 
For Dickon thy master is BOUGHT AND 
SOLD. 

1605. DRAVTON, Mortimer iados. Is 
this the kindness that thou offerest me? 
And in thy country am I BOUGHT AND 
SOLD. 



SEMI-BEJAN. See BEJAN. 

SEMINARY, subs, (venery). The 
pudendum : see MONOSYLLABLE. 
[With a pun on semen = the 
liquor seminale.] 

SEMPER, adj. (Winchester). See 
quot. 

.1840. MANSFIELD, School Life (1866), 
233. A very common prefix ; e.g., a boy 
was said to be SEMPER continent, tardy, 
or extrumps if he was often at Sick House, 
or late for Chapel, or habitually went up 
to Books without having looked at his 
lessons. An official who was always at 
the College meetings went by the name of 
SEMPER Testis. 



Send. 



141 Sentimental-journey. 



SEND. To SEND UP, verb. phr. 
(American). To commit to pri- 
son ; TO FULLY (y.v.). 

1852. JUDSON, Myst. of New York, 
ill. 7. They'd blow on me for some of my 
work, and I'd be SENT UP. 

1879. Scribner's, viii. 619. Some of 
them seem rather proud of the number of 
times they have been SENT UP. 

1888. Detroit Free Press, ao Oct. 
They SENT me UP for thirty days. 

TO SEND DOWN (or AWAY), 

verb. phr. (University). I. To 
expel ; and (2) TO RUSTICATE 
(q.v.). 

1714. Spectator, 596. After this I 
was deeply in love with a milliner, and at 
last with my bedmaker, upon which I was 
SENT AWAY, or, in university phrase, rusti- 
cated for ever. 

1863. KINGSLEY, Austin Elliot, i. 
179. How dare you say ' deuce ' in my 
presence? You can GO DOWN, my Lord. 

1891. Harry Fludyer, %g. Next day 
they were hauled and SENT down. 

1891. Felstedian, Ap. 32. They 
SENT him DOWN for two terms for smash- 
ing a shop window. 

To SEND IN, verb. phr. (old). 
' To drive or break in : Hand 
down the jemmy and SEND IT 
IN ; apply the crow to the door 
and drive it in ' (GROSE). 

See COVENTRY ; DAYLIGHT ; 
FLEA IN EAR ; GREEN RIVER ; 
OWLS j PACKING ; SALT RIVER ; 
UP. 

SEND-OFF, subs. phr. (colloquial). 
A start ; a God-speed. SEND- 
OFF NOTICE = an obituary. 

1872. CLEMENS, Roughing ft, 332. 
One of the boys has passed in his checks, 
and we want to give him a good SEND OFF. 

1876. BESANT and RICE, Golden 
Butterfly . . . After the funeral Huggins 
. . . wrote a beautiful SEND-OFF NOTICE 
saying what a loss the community had 
suffered in Scrimmy's untimely end, 



1889. Pall Mall Gaz., 16 Nov., 6, i. 
It looks as if Adelina Patti's SEND-OFF 
concert on Monday night would be a very 
brilliant affair. 

1894. MORRISON, Mean Streets, 132. 
In the beginning [he] might even have 
been an office boy, if only his mother had 
been able to give him a good SEND OFF in 
the matter of clothes. 

1897. Referee, 14 Mar. i, i. Thes 
departers were to be patted on the back, 
given a good SEND-OFF, and helped on the 
road. 

SENDER, subs, (common). -A severe 
blow. 

SENSATION, subs, (common). A 
small quantity ; as much as can 
be perceived by the senses : spec, 
a half-quartern. 

SENSE, verb, (once literary; now 
American colloquial. To feel ; 
to take in ; to understand. 

1651. CARTWRIGHT, Poems [NARKS], 
'Twas writ, not to be understood, but 
read, He that expounds it must come from 
the dead; and undertake to SENSE it 
true, For he can tell more than himself 
e'er knew. 

1665. GLANVILLE, Scepsis, Sciett- 
tifica, xxii. Is he sure that objects are 
not otherwise SENSED by others, than they 
are by him ? 

1885. MERRIAM, S. Bowles, i, 101. 
He . . . got at the plans of the leaders, 
the temper of the crowd, SENSED the 
whole situation. 

SENTIMENTAL-CLUB (THE), subs. 
phr. (literary). The Athenaeum. 

SENTIMENTAL - JOURNEY. To 

ARRIVE AT THE END OF THE 
SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY, phr. 

(common). To possess a woman 
[That, so it is said, being the 
finish of Sterne's novel' I put 
out my hand and caught hold of 
the fille de chambre's . 

FINIS ']. 



Sentinel. 



142 



Servant. 



SENTINEL, subs. (Irish). A wake 
candle ; a GLIM (q.v.). Fr. une 
flambarde. 

SENTRY. ON SENTRY, adv. phr. 
(common). Drunk : see 
SCREWED. 

SENTRY-BOX. CHELSEA HOSPITAL 
TO A SENTRY-BOX, phr. (old). 
A fanciful bet. 

1891. Lie. Viet. Mirror, 30 Jan., 7, 
2. Tom's hit of the opening round, and 
led Aaron's friends to call out in their 
jubilation : "It's all your own, my boy; 
CHELSEA HOSPITAL TO A SENTRY-BOX." 

SEP, subs. (American cadet). A 
cadet joining in September. 

SEPARATE, subs, (prison). See 
quot. 1877. 

1862. Cornhitt Mag., vi. 640. 
[Criminals] count by many thousands . . . 
In prison and out of it ... doing their 
SEPARATES at Pentonville and among the 
rocks of Gibraltar wherever they are they 
develop and increase criminal tendencies, 
and spread criminal knowledge. 

1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, 
v. 333. A new large prison at Dartmoor, 
in which convicts could be confined in 
cells to do their SEPARATES, as the first 
eleven or twelve months' probationary im- 
prisonment is termed. 

SERAGLIETTO^ttfo. (B. E., ^.1696). 

" A lowly, sorry Bawdy-house, 
a meer Dog-hole." 

SERAGLIO, subs. (B. E., ^.1696, and 
GROSE, 1785). "A Bawdy- 
house ; also the Great Turk's 
Palace." 

SERENE. See ALL SERENE. 
SERGEANT. See COME. 

SERGEANT-MAJOR, subs. phr. 
(butchers'). A fat loin of mutton. 

SERGEANT-MAJOR'S BRANDY AND 
SODA, subs. phr. (military). A 
gold-laced stable jacket. 



SERGEANT-MAJOR'S WASH CAT, 
subs. phr. (cavalry). (i) A new 
kit ; and (2) the troop store-man. 

SERPENT. STUNG BY A SERPENT, 
phr. (old). With child (RAY). 

TO HOLD A SERPENT BY THE 

TAIL, verb. phr. (old). To act 
foolishly. 

SERVANT, subs, (venery). i. A 
lover en parade ; and (2) a 
STALLION (q.V.) '. ff. MISTRESS. 

Hence, SERVICE = copulation ; 
TO SERVE = subagitare. 

1369. CHAUCER, Troilus, v. 1345. If 
any SERVAUNT durst or oghte aryght 
Upon his lady pitously compleyne. Ibid. 
(.1387), Queen Annelida, 293. He was 
SERVAUNT unto her ladyship ... she had 
him at her oune will. 

1595. SHAKSPEARE, Two Gent. 
Verona, ii. 4. Too low a mistress for so 
high a SERVANT. Ibid. (1605), Lear, iii. 
4, 87. A SERVING man . . . that . . . 
SERVED the lust of my mistress's heart, and 
did the act of darkness with her. 

1609. BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, 
Scornful Lady, v. i Was I not once 
your mistress, and you my SERVANT ? 

1609. JONSON, Epicoene, ii. 2. Where 
the first question is if her present SER- 
VANT love her? next, if she shall have a 
new SERVANT? and how many. 

1611. CHAPMAN, May-Day, v. 2. A 
woman of good parts . . . helps maids to 
SERVICES, restores maidenheads, brings 
women to bed, and men to their bedsides. 
Ibid. (1612), Widow's Tears, ii. 4. 
Madam, I am still the same . . . not 
pressing to your bed but your pleasure 
shall be first known, if you will command 
me any SERVICE. 

.1619. FIELD and MASSINGER, Fatal 
Dowry, ii. 2. The only distinction be- 
twixt a husband and a SERVANT is, the 
first will lie with you when he pleases, the 
last shall lie with you when you please. 

1635. DAVENANT, News from Ply- 
mouth, ii. i. He loves and honours 
ladies ; for whose SERVICE He's still a 
ready champion. 



Serve. 



'43 



Set-down. 



1685. CROWNS, Sir Courtly Nice, 
ii. i. You may proclaim? at Mercat-cross, 
how great an Adorer you are of such a 
Woman's Charms ? how much you desire 
to be admitted into her SERVICE ; that is, 
how lusty a Centaur you are. 

i6g2. DRVDEN, Juvenal, x. In form 
of law, a common hackney-jade Sole heir 
for secret SERVICES is made. 

1720. DURFBY, Pills, v. 227. To 
shew he could a Lady SERVE, As well as 
the Hollander. 

1772. BRIDGES, Homer Burlesque^ 
392. And all the virgins in the town 
Expect they shall be ravished soon . . . 
At any time they'll let you SERVE 'em. 



SERVE, verb. (old). i. To rob : 
e.g. , * I SERVED him for his 
thimble ' = ' I robbed him of his 
watch ' (GROSS and VAUX). 

2. See SERVANT and TIME. 

3. (thieves'). ' To find guilty, 
convict, and sentence' (GROSE). 

4. (old). To maim ; to wound ; 
to PUNISH (q.v.) : whence TO 
SERVE OUT = to take revenge ; TO 

SERVE OUT AND OUT as tO kill 

(GROSE and VAUX). 

1819. MOORE, Tom Crib. Whoso'er 
grew unpolite The well-bred champion 

SERVED HIM OUT. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. ii. 
Squinting Nan, full of jealousy . . . , is 
getting over the box to SARVE HER OUT for 
her duplicity. 

1837-40. HALIBURTON, Clockmaker 
(1848), 12. Now the bees know how to 
SARVE OUT such chaps, for they have their 
drones, too. 

1853. BULWBR, My Novel, xii. 25. 
The Right Honourable Gentleman had 
boasted be had served his country for 
twenty years . . . He should have said 

SERVED HER OUT. 

1868. GREENWOOD, Purgatory oj 
Peter the Cruel, \. 22. I am doomed to 
become a blackbeetle because of the many 
of the sort I have hurt and smashed, and 
more especially because I SERVED this 
wretched cockroach OUT. . 



To SERVE UP, verb. phr. 
(American). To ridicule. 

See SLOPS. 

SESSIONS, intj. (common). An 
exclamation of surprise. 

SET, subs, (cricketers'). i. A de- 
termined stand ; TO GET SET =5 
to ' collar' the bowling. 

2. (common). A grudge ; a 
sustained attack : in argument 
or conduct. Also DEAD-SET. 

PHRASES. To SET THE 
HARE'S HEAD TO THE GOOSE 
G i BLETS = to balance matters; to 
give tit for tat ; TO SET JEWELS 
(ttiquot. 1874); ALL SET = 'Des- 
perate fellows, ready for any kind 
of mischief (BUNCOMBE). 

1607. DEKKER and WEBSTER, West- 
ward Hoe, v. 3. They came to Brainford 
to be merry, you were caught in Birdlime, 
and therefore SET THE HARE'S HEAD 

AGAINST THE GOOSE GIBLETS. 

1874. HOTTEN, Slang Diet., s.v. 
SETTING JEWELS. The taking the best por- 
tions of a clever book not much known to 
the general public, and incorporating them 
quietly in a new work by a thoroughly 
original author. The credit of this term 
belongs to Mr. Charles Reade, who ex- 
plained that the process is accountable for 
the presence of some writing by one 
Jonathan Swift, in a story published at 
Christmas, 1872, and called The Wan- 
dering Heir. 

See CAP ; DEAD-SET ; EARS ; 
HARD-SET; SHOULDER; WHEEL. 

SET- BACK. See BACK-SET. 

SET- DOWN, subs. phr. (colloquial). 
i. A snub; an unexpected or 
overwhelming reply. Also as 
verb. to take to task ; to rebuff; 
to get the better of. 
1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [On- 

PHANT, New Eng., ii. 166. Among new 

substantives are a SET-DOWN, blinkers, 

. -I- 

K 



Set-off. 



144 



Setter. 



2. (American tramps'). See 
quot. 

1900. FLYNT, Tramps, 105. He will 
almost always give a beggar a SET-DOWN 
(square meal). 

SET-OFF, subs, phr. (colloquial). 
I. A contrast ; an alternative ; a 
QUID PRO QUO (q.V.) 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 151. As a SET-OFF against his 
hen-pecked cowardice ... he gave me 
fifty ducats. Ibid., 249. You will not 
have much spare room ... but as a SET- 
OFF I promise that you shall be superbly 
lodged at Lisbon. 

1844. MILL, Polit. Econ., in. xii. 6. 
If the cheque is paid into a different bank, 
it will not be presented for payment, but 
liquidated by SET-OFF against other 
cheques. 

</. 1868. BROUGHAM [Century], A poor 
SET-OFF against constant outrages. 

1879. FROUDE, Casar, 454. He 
pleaded his desertion of Pompey as a SET- 
OFF against his faults. 

2. (colloquial). An adorn- 
ment ; an ornament. 

1619. FLETCHER, Wildgoose Chase, 
iii. i. This coarse creature That has no 
more SET-OFF but his jugglings, His 
travell'd tricks. 

SET-OUT, subs. phr. (colloquial). 
A company, clique, display, or 
turn-out any arrangement, state 
of things, or event. 

1816. AUSTEN, Emma, xlii. 'There 
shall be cold meat in the house.' ' As you 
please ; only don't have a great SET-OUT.' 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., n. 
46. The whole SET-OUT . . . pony in- 
cluded, Cost ^50 when new. 

1837. DICKENS, /VcWc (1857), n. 
"P.C.," said the stranger, "queer SET 
OUT old fellow's likeness, and P.C. 
What does P.C. stand for Peculiar coat, 
eh?" Ibid. (1854), Hard Times, i. 8. 
She must just hate and detest the whole 
SET-OUT of us. 

1856. WHYTE MELVILLE, Kate 
Coventry, iv. As we pulled up in front of 
the Castle Hotel ..." Ere's a spicy SET- 
OUT, Bill," said one. 



SETTA, adj. (theatrical). Seven. 
Also SETTER. 

1893. EMERSON, Lipfo, xiv. Then 
he placed a large piece of boiled bacon 
and a dish of potatoes and a dish of greens 
before three road scavengers, and said, 
" I'll take SETTA soldi from you gents." 

SETTER, subs. (old). i. .&<? quots. ; 
also (modern) a police spy: see 
NARK (GROSE). 

1591. GREENE, Notable Discovery 
[Works, x. 15]. The nature of the SETTER, 
is to draw any person familiarly to drinke 
with him, which person they call the bonie. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, / Hen. IV., ii. 
2, 53. 'Tis our SETTER : I know his voice. 

1607. DEKKER, Jests to make you 
Merie [Wks. (GROSART), 11. 310]. Your 
theeues trauelling mort is partly a SETTER 
of robberies, partly a theefe herselfe. 

1680. COTTON, Complete Gamester, 
353. Shoals of huffs, hectors, SETTERS, 
gilts, pads, biters, &c., may all pass under 
the general appellation of rooks. 

.1696. B. E., Diet. Cant. Crew, s.v. 
SETTERS, or Setting-dogs, they that draw 
in Bubbles, for old Gamesters to Rook ; 
also a Seigeant's Yeoman, or Bailiff's 
Follower, or Second, and an kxcize-Officer 
to prevent the Brewers defrauding the 
King. 

1714. Memoirs of John Hall (4th 
ed.), 7. There are also SETTERS of both 
Sexes, that make it their Business to go 
about upon Information, to pry into the 
Disposition and Avenues of Houses, and 
bring notice of the Booty. 

<i745. SWIFT, Last Speech Eben. 
Elliston. We had SETTERS watching in 
corners, and by dead walls. 

1754. B. MARTIN, En. Diet, (and 
ed.), s.v. SETTER ... (3) an associate of 
sharpers to get them bubbles. 

1866. LEMON, Leyton Hall. Old 
Crookfinger, the most notorious SETTER, 
barnacle, and foist in the city. 

2. (auctioneers'). A runner-up 
of prices ; a BONNET (q.v.). 

CLOCK - SETTER, subs. phr. 
(nautical). i. One who tampers 
with the clock to shorten his 
watch ; also (2) a busy-body, a 
SEA- LAWYER (g.v.). Century. 



Settle. 



Seven. 



SETTLE, verb, (common). I. To 
knock down ; TO DO FOR (g.v.). 
GROSE. To SETTLE ONE'S 
HASH (see HASH). Hence SETT- 
LER = (i) a knock-down blow; 
and (2) a finishing stroke. 

1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 15. He 
tipp'd him a SETTLER. 

1827. The Fancy, 'King Tims the 
First.' That thrust you gave me, Tims, 
has proved a nettler. Your stab turns out, 
what I have been, a SETTLER ! 

1836. SCOTT, Cruise of the Midge, 
ip2. Like a cannon-shot right against me, 
giving me such a SETTLER. 

1845. BUCKSTONE, Green Bushes, ii. 
2. Whoever that lady aimed at, she has 
certainly brought down. . . . She settled 
the SETTLER, and no mistake. 

1857. HOLMES, Autocrat of the 
Breakfast Table, vi. 1 hat slight tension 
about the nostrils which the consciousness 
of carrying a SETTLER in the form of a 
fact or a revolver gives the individual thus 
armed. 

c.i866. Music Hall Song, 'What a 
fool.' My darling wife and Ma-in-law 
Have nearly SETTLED me. 

1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, 
iii. '"Esee the engine a coming, . . .and 
chucked hisself bang in front of it, and it 
soon SETTLED 'im." 

1888. Sportsman, 22 Dec. A mis- 
take at the last hurdles proved a complete 
SETTLER, and he succumbed by six 
lengths. 

2. (thieves'). To give (or get) 
penal servitude for life. 

SETTLEMENT-IN-TAIL, subs. phr. 
(venery). An act of generation : 
see GREENS and RIDE. 



SETTLER, subs, (common). i. A 
parting drink : see SCREWED. 

2. See SETTLE, i. 

SET-TO, subs. phr. (pugilists'). i. 
A bout at fisticuffs, with, or with- 
out, the gloves. Whence (2) = 
determined opposition (GROSE). 
Also as verb. 



1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 'Account 
of the Grand SET-TO between Long, Sandy 
and Georgy the Porpus ' [Title]. 

1825. SCOTT, St. Ronan's Well, 
xxx. The alacrity of gentlemen of the 
Fancy hastening to a SET-TO. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingoldsby Leg., I. 
317. As prime a SET-TO And regular turn- 
up as ever you knew. 

1859. WHITTY, Political Portraits, 
217. The bludgeon blows of the old Par- 
liamentary SET-TOS ended in hand-shaking. 

1864. London Society, Dec. I 

Generally warms up in the SET-TO with 
udy, and by the time the ghost business 
comes on, I'm all of a glow. 

1879. PAYN, High Spirits (Finding 
His Level). He had had it laid down 
with turf instead of a carpet, for the 
greater convenience of his SET-TOS. 

1889. Modern Society, 19 Oct., 1294, 
i. They settled the affair with a good 
SET-TO with raw potatoes. 

1892. National Observer, 27 Feb., 
378. Give me a snug little SET-TO down 
in Whitechapel. 

SET- UP, subs, (colloquial). i. 
Port ; bearing ; carriage. 

1890. T. C. CRAWFORD, Eng. Life, 
147. [English soldiers] have a SET-UP not 
to be found in any of the soldiers of the 
Continental armies. 

2. (American). A TREAT 

(q.V.) to SET-UP = to * STAND 
SAM ' : cf. SET-DOWN. 

1887. T. STEVENS, Around World 
on a Bicycle . . . They threaten to make 
him SET 'EM UP every time he tumbles in 
hereafter. 

Adv. (American). Conceited. 

SEVEN. To BE MORE THAN SEVEN, 
phr. (common). Wide-awake. 

Also, MORE THAN TWELVE. 
.1876. Music Hall Song, 'You're 

MORE THAN SEVEN ' [Title]. 

1892. NISBET, Bushranger's Sweet- 
heart, 195. Yes, I really do think that 
the naughty boy is MORE THAN SEVEN. 

1898. GISSING, Town Traveller, viii. 
4 We all know that Mr. Gammon's MORE 

THAN SEVEN,' 



Sevendible. 



146 



Sewer. 



SEVENDIBLE, adj. adv. (Irish). 'A 
very curious word, used only in the 
North of Ireland, to denote some- 
thing particularly severe, strong, 
or sound. It is, no doubt, de- 
rived from sevendouble that is, 
sevenfold and is applied to linen 
cloth, a heavy beating, a harsh 
reprimand, &c.' (ROTTEN). 

SEVEN-PENNORTH (or SEVEN- 
PENCE), subs. phr. (old). See 
quot. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, 11. iii. 
1 My lord, if I am to stand SEVENPENCE 
[7 yrs transportation], my lord, I hope 
you'll take it into your consideration.' 

SEVEN-SIDED ANIMAL (or SEVEN- 
SIDED SON OF A BITCH), phr. 
(old). ' A one-eyed person : as 
as he has a right side and a left 
side, a front side and a back side, 
an inside and an outside, and a 
blind side ' (GROSE). 

SEVEN -YEAR, subs. phr. (old). A 
long time : proverbial. 

15 [?]. Four Elements [HALLIWELL], 
That is the best daunce without a pype 
that I saw this SEVEN YERE. 

1579. Mariage of Witt and Wis- 
dome. Thay ware not so hack this SEVEN 

YBERE. 

1600. SHAKSPEARE, Much Ado, iii. 3. 
He has been a vile thief this SEVEN YEAR. 

SEVERELY, adv. (colloquial). A 
generic intensive : e.g. , * to be 
left SEVERELY alone' = to be 
altogether neglected. 

1854. WHYTE MELVILLE, General 
Bounce, xii. That officer has dined SE- 
VERELY, as he calls it, and is slightly 
inebriated. 

SEW. To SEW UP ONE'S STOCK- 
ING, verb. phr. (C. READE). To 
silence ; to confute. 

1859. READS, Love Me Little, xxvi. 
Eh ! Miss Lucy, . . . but ye've got a 
tongue in your head. Ye've SEWBD UP MY 



SEWED UP, adj. phr. (common). 
i. Pregnant; KNOCKED-UP (?..). 
To SEW UP = to get with child. 

2. (pugilists'). Severely 
punished : spec, with bloated eyes. 

3. (common). Exhausted ; 
drunk ; sick. 

1829. BUCKSTONE, Billy Taylor. 
Kitty. (Aside, and taking out a vial.) 
This liquid, sent me by Monsieur Chabert, 
The fire-king, will SEW HIM UP. 

1836. DICKENS, Pickwick, Iv. 
" Busy ! " replied Pell ; "I'm completely 
SEWN UP, as my friend the late Lord 
Chancellor many a time used to say to me." 

1841. Punch, I., 278. We had a great 
night in London before I started only I 
got rascally screwed, not exactly SEWED 
UP, you know, but hit under the wing so 
that I could not very well fly. 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life, 33. A 
most excellent first number just the thing 
SEW the lower town UP. 

1850. SMEDLEY, Frank Fairlegh, 
xiv. " She's in first-rate training, 'pon my 
word : I thought she'd have SEWN me UP 
at one time the pace was terrific." 

1860. HALISURTON, The Season* 
Ticket, No. x. " Are you sure you wasn't 
drunk, uncle?" said I. "Quite certain," 
he said ; "I might have been overtaken 
... but I am sure I wasn't SEWED UP." 

1884. C. RUSSELL, Jack's Courtship, 
xiii. If Alphonso carried his daughter 
away from England, I should be SEWED 
UP, as Jack says, for want of funds to stick 
to his skirts. 

1902. HEADON HILL, Caged, xxii. 
She's about SEWN-UP . . . tired herself out 
at the game. 

4. (nautical). Grounded : also 
SUED UP. 



SEWER, subs. (London). The 
Metropolitan and Metropolitan 
District Railways. 

2. (Stock Exchange). In pi. 
= The East London Railway 
shares. 



Sev. 



147 



Shack. 



COMMON SEWER, subs. phr. 
(common). (i) An indiscrimi- 
nate tippler ; (2) the throat ; and 
(3) see quot. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 90. You may truly be termed 
a COMMON SEWER of erudition. 

SEX, subs, (venery). I. The female 
pudendum : generic. See MONO- 
SYLLABLE. 2. THE SEX = woman- 
kind. 

SEY (SE or SAY) (back slang). 
Yes : pronounced See. 

SHAB, verb, (old colloquial). I. 
To GET (or MAKE) SHABBY, which 
= (i) 'in sorry rigging' (B. E. 
and GROSE), out-at-elbows ; and 
(2) mean, base, SEEDY (q.v.). 
Whence SHABBAROON (SHAB- 

ROON, SHABRAG, or SHABSTER) 

= a ragamuffin, ' a mean spirited 
fellow ' (B. E. and GROSE). Also 
SHABBY-GENTEEL = aping gen- 
tility, but really shabby ; TO SHAB 
OFF = ' to sneak or slide away ' 
(B. E.). 

1680. AUBREY, Lives, ' Lettes ' [G*Li- 
PHANT, New Engl., ii. 121.] Among new 
words are Sketch . . . SHABBY (from 
scabby.) 

1688. CLARENDON, Diary, 7 Dec. 
They were very SHABBY fellows, pitifully 
mounted, and worse armed. 

1691-2. WOOD, Athena Oxon., n. 
743. They mostly had short hair, and 
went in a SHABBBD condition. 

1698. FARQUHAR, Love and a Bottle, 
iv. 3. I would have SHABBED him OFF. 

1703. WARD, London Sy, xv. 365. 
Some loose SHABKOON in Bawdy-Houses 
Bred. 

</.i704. T. BROWN, Works, ii. 184. My 
wife, too, . . . let in an inundation of 
SHABROONS to gratify her concupiscence. 

1729. SWIFT, Hamilton's Baron. 
The dean was so SHABBY, and look'd like a 
hinny. 

1816. SCOTT, Antiquary, xv. He's 
a SHABBY body. 



'.53- 



1823. MONCRIEPF, Tom and Jerry, 
ii. 6. We haven't had a better job a long 
vile nor the SHABBY GENTEEL lay. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingoldsbv Legends, 
'Lay of St. Nicholas.' And how in the 
Abbey No one was so SHABBY, As not to 
say yearly four masses a head. 

1840. THACKERAY, Shabby Genteel 
Story [Title]. 

1862. THACKERAY, Philip, xxii. Her 
mother felt more and more ashamed of the 
SHABBY fly ... and the SHABBY cavalier. 

1894. W. M. BAKER, New Timothy, 
Keeping up a fragmentary conversa- 
tion with the SHABBY gentleman. 

2. (old). To scratch oneself: 
like a lousy man or mangy dog. 

SHABBY-WOMAN (THE), subs. phr. 
(literary). See quot. 

1864. Atheneeum, 29 Oct., 'Rev. of 
Slang Diet. ' There is the SHABBY WOMAN, 
a term pointing to the statue of Minerva 
which guards the portal of the Athenzeum, 
and looks so little like ' Eve on hospitable 
thoughts intent,' for since the Athenaeum 
Club was established, no member has ever 
afforded the simplest rites of hospitality to 
a friend. 

SHACK, subs, (old). i. A shiftless 
fellow ; a vagabond : also 
SHACKABACK, SHACKBAG, 
SHACKRAG, a SHAKERAG. As 

verb. =to go on tramp; to idle, 
to loaf. As adj. (also SHACK- 
NASTY) = contemptible : if. SHAG- 
BAG. 

1740. NORTH, Examen, 293. Great 
ladies are more apt to take sides with 
talking, flattering gossips than such a 
SHACK as Fitzharris. 

18... Widow Bedott Papers, 34. 
Her father was a poor drunken SHACK, and 
her mother took in washin". 

1856. Dow, Sermons, m. General 
fly-oflfs and moral unhitches incident to 
poor SHACKLY mortality. 

1865. GoodWords,?<&y., 125. What 
makes the work come so heavy at the end 
of the week, is, that the men are SHACKING 
at the beginning. 

1882. W. ANDREWS, Book o/0ddities % 
84. 'Ripley ruffians, Butterley blacks, 
Swanwick bull-dogs, Alfreton SHACKS.'. . . 
For generations past Alfreton always had, 
down to twenty years ago, a notorious set 



Shackle. 



148 



Shadow. 



of idlers in it, ready for anything except 
working for an honest living easily earning 
the cognomen of Alfreton SHACKS. . . . 
The date of the origin of the rhyme is pro- 
bably about 1800. 

1888. Detroit Free Press, 29 Sep. 
The meanest, wickedest, low-down, SHACK- 
NASTY lot of heathens in America. 

1896. OPPENHEIM, False Evidence, 
xxvi. What would you have me do? 
SHACK about with my hands in my pockets 
all day. 

2. (American). See quots. In 
Canada SHACK = dwelling. 

1887. ROBERTS, Western Avernus. 
I ... and Mitchell were in one of the 
SHACKS or huts. 

1881. New York Times, 18 Dec. 
[quoted in ' Noll' 6 S., v. 65. SHACK. 
A log cabin. The average SHACK com- 
prises but one room, and is customarily 
roofed with earth, supported by poles. 

1882. Century Mag-., 511. A SHACK 
is a one-story house built of cotton-wood 
logs, driven in the ground like piles, or laid 
one upon another. The roof is of sticks 
and twigs covered with dirt, and if there is 
no woman to insist on tidiness, the floor 
will be of pounded earth. 

3. (Post Office). A misdirected 
or returned letter. 

SHACKLE, suds. (American). A 
raffle. 

1885. Western Gaz., 30 Jan. [Notes 
and Queries, 6 S., xi. 245]. [He] was 
asked by a young man to join in a SHACKLE 
for live tame rabbits. 

SHACKLY (or SHACKLING), adj. 
(American). Ricketty ; RAM- 
SHACKLE (y.v.). 

1872. J. T. TROWBRIDGE, Coupon 
Bonds, 387. The gate itself was such a 
SHACKLING concern, a child couldn't have 
leaned on it without breaking it down. 

1876. Century, xxv. 672. An un- 
painted and SHACKLY dwelling. 

1884. CLEMENS, Huck. Finn., xxi. 
All kinds of old SHACKLY wagons. 

1885. J. W. PALMER, New and Old, 
55. Very small mean, slender and brittle- 
looking, or what old coloured nurses call 

SHACKLY, 



1900. SAVAGE, Brought to Bay, v. 
Caliente, a SHACKLY frontier settlement. 

SHACK-STONER, subs. phr. As in 
quot. [?6d.]. 

1893. EMERSON, Signor Lippo, xvii. 
Oh ! I knows 'em all and can recon 'em up, 
from a SHACK-STONER to a cold 'later. 
You see I've been at the stand for twelve 
years. Ibid., xx. You see, if yer get a 
rozzer to call yer up he wants a SCHACK- 
STONER, but if I call 'em up I gets a 
thrummer a week. 

SHAD, subs. (American). A pros- 
titute. See TART. 

SHAD BELLY, subs. (American). 
A Quaker : the Quaker coat 
from neck to skirt follows the 
ventral line of the shad hence 
SHAD-BELLIED = sloping in front 
like a Quaker coat. Cj. CUTAWAY. 

1869. STOWE, Oldtown, 8. He was 
kind 'o mournfnl and thin and SHAD- 
BELLIED. 

1870. JUDD, Margaret, \. 13. Three 
cornered hats, SHAD-BELLIED coats, shoe 
and knee buckles. 

SHADE, subs, (common). In//. = 
wine-vaults : also as in quot. 1823. 

1823. BEE, Diet. Turf^ s.v. SHADES. 
The SHADES at London Bridge are under 
Fishmongers' Hall. . . . The SHADES at 
Spring Gardens is a subterranean ale-shop. 

Verb, (thieves'). To conceal ; 
to keep secret. 

SHADKIN, subs. (American). A 
marriage-broker. 

SHADOW, subs, and verb. (old). 
i. A spy or close attendant : 
e.g. (i) a detective; (2) see quot. 
1869 ; (3) a bosom friend ; and 
(4) a JACKAL (q.v.). As verb. 
(i) to track, to spy, to DOG (q.v.) ; 
and (2) to be inseparable. 

1607. TOURNEUR, Revenger's Tra- 
gedy, ii. 3. l^en. I'd almost forgot 

the bastard ! Lus. What of him ? Ven. 

This night, this hour, this minute, now 

Lus. What? what? Ven. SHADOWS the 
duchess-. 



Shadrach. 



149 



Shady. 



.1859. Providence Jl. [BARTLETT], 
She was SHADOWED, and her ways of life 
ascertained. 

1869. GREENWOOD, Seven Curses of 
London. She's a dress-woman . . . one 
. . . they tog out that they may show off 
at their best, and make the most of their 
faces. They can't trust 'em . . . you 
might tell that by the SHADDER. 

1876. New York Herald, 23 Mar. 
Barr was decoyed ... by a member of 
the secret service, who SHADOWED him. 

1888. PINKERTON, Midnight Ex- 
fress, 23. A man had SHADOWED the 
detective since his departure from the rail- 
way office. 

1891. G. F. GRIFFITHS [Tr. FOUARD, 
Christ, The Son of God, i. 238]. He was 
SHADOWED by spies, who were stirring up 
the crowd against Him. 

1897. Weekly Dispatch, 24 Oct. , 2. 4. 
They proved to be two well-known and 
expert burglars . . . and the SHADOWING 
was continued for several days, the police 
hoping to secure the receiver. 

1902. LYNCH, High Stakes, xxyiii. 
It is not a SHADOWING expedition. It is a 
hold-up. 

2. (Westminster School). See 
quot. 

1867. COLLINS, Public Schools, 187. 
When a boy is first placed in the school, 
he is attached to another boy in the same 
form, something in the relation of an ap- 
prentice. The new boy is called the 
SHADOW, the other the ' substance.' In the 
first week the SHADOW follows the sub- 
stance everywhere, takes his place next to 
him in class . . . and is exempt from any 
responsibility for his own mistakes in or out 
of school. During this interval of indul- 
gence his patron is expected to initiate him 
in all the work of the school ... in short 
to teach him by degrees to enter upon . . . 
a responsible existence of bis own. 

MAY YOUR SHADOW NEVER BE 

(or GROW) LESS,/^;-. (colloquial). 
= May you prosper ! 

1887. Referee, 2 Jan. The recipients 
. . . hope that Sara's SHADOW MAY NEVER 

GROW LESS. 

SHADRACH, subs, (founders'). A 
mass of badly smelted iron. \Cf. 
Daniel, iii. 26, 27.] 



SHADSCALES (or SCALES), subs. 
(American). See quot. 

1875. American English [Chatn. 
Journal, 25 Sept., 610], Money has 
different names; as ... SHADSCALES, 
charms . . . 

SHADY, adj. and adv. (orig. Uni- 
versity : now generally colloquial. ) 
Generic for decadence and 
deterioration, moral, physical, 
and material. Hence, ON THE 
SHADY SIDE OF [e.g., 40] = be- 

yond (or older) than 40 years of 
age ; TO KEEP SHADY (American) 
= to keep in the background, to 
be cautious and reticent. 

1852. BRISTED, Five Years in an 
Eng. University, 147. Some . . . are 
rather SHADY in Greek and Latin. 

1862. CLOUGH, The Bothee o/Tober- 
Na-Vuolich. SHADY in Latin, said Lind- 
say, but topping in Plays and Aldrich. 

1863. KINGSLEY, Austin Elliott, xii. 
Hayton had come for his hour's logic . . . 
Hayton was the only SHADY man of the 
lot ; the only " pass" man of the whole. 

1864. Spectator, 1186. The Univer- 
sity word SHADY meaning simply poor and 
inefficient, as when a man is said to be 
" SHADY in Latin but topping in Greek 
plays " is obviously University slang. 

1874. HATTON, Clytie, in. xiii. No 
more seedy clients, no more SHADY cases ; 
Simon Cuffing shall be known for his 
intense respectability. 

1883. HAWLEY SMART, At Fault, 
III. vii. Mr. Andernore engaged in a good 
many transactions that, though not illegal 
exactly, were of the kind denominated 

SHADY. 

1886. D. Telegraph, n Sep. The 
public might be misled into subscribing to 
a SHADY undertaking. Ibid. (1888), 30 
Nov. Between these, however, and the 
SHADIEST pickpocket who calls himself a 
Count there are infinite degrees of assump- 
tion and sham. 

1897. MARSHALL, ' Pomes,' 8. If 
this isn't a SHADY lot. Ibid., 9. And luck 
of the SHADIEST sort. ' 

THE SHADY GROVES OF THE 
EVANGELIST, subs. phr. (Lon- 
don). St. John's Wood. [A 
favourite haunt of loose women.] 



Shady Spring. 150 



Shag-bag. 



SH ADY SPRING, subs. phr. (venery). 
The female pudendum : see 
MONOSYLLABLE. 

1772. BRIDGES, Homer Burlesque, 

62. Not that for Greece she car'd a f 1, 

But hated Paris in her heart, Because 
he'd seen her SHADY SPRING, And did not 
think it was the thing. 

SHAFT. To MAKE A SHAFT OR 

A BOLT OF IT, verb. phr. (old). 

To take a risk for what it is 

worth ; to venture. 

1596. SHAKSPEARE, Merry Wives, 

Ui. 4, 24. I'll MAKE A SHAFT OR A BOLT 

ON'T : 'slid, 'tis but venturing. 

1617. HOWELL, Letters, i, iii. 24. 
The Prince is preparing for his journey ; 
I shall to it again closely when he is gone, 

Or MAKE A SHAFT OR A BOLT ON IT, 

SHAFT OF CUPID (or DELIGHT), 

subs. phr. (venery). The penis: 
see PRICK. 

1719. DURFEY, Pills, iv. 72. It is a 
SHAFT OF CUPID'S cut, 'Twill serve to 
Rove, to Prick, to Butt. 

1782. STEVENS, Songs Comic and 
Satirycal, 'The Picture. 1 For Cupid's 
Pantheon, the SHAFT OF DELIGHT must 
spring from the masculine base. 



SHAFTSBURY, subs. (B.E. ^.1696). 
' A gallon-pot full of wine, with 
a Cock.' 

SHAG, subs, (venery). i. The act 
of kind ; (2) = a PERFORMER 
((/.v.) : e.g.) * lie's but a bad 
SHAG ' = ' He's no able woman's 
man' (GROSE), hsverb. = (i) 
to copulate : see GREENS and 
RIDE ; and (2) TO FRIG 



To SHAG BACK, verb. phr. 
(hunting). To hesitate ; to hang 
back ; to refuse a fence. 

As WET AS A SHAG, phr. (pro- 
vincial). As wet as may be. 
[SHAG = cormorant]. 



SHAG- (or SHAKE-) BAG (or RAG), 
subs. phr. (old). I. 'A poor 
shabby fellow' (B. E.)j *a man 
of no spirit : a term borrowed 
from the cock-pit ' (GROSE) : 
originally as in quot. 1611. Also 
as adj. mean ; beggarly. See 
RAG. 

1588. MARLOWE, Jew of Malta. Act 
iv. Bara. Was ever Jew tormented as 
I am? To have a SHAG-RAG knave to 
come, &c. 

1611. COTGRAVE, Diet, s.v. Guerlu* 
set, somewhat like our SHAG RAG, a byword 
for a beggerlie souldier. 

1611. CHAPMAN, May-day, Act 11. 
281 (Plays, 1874). If I thought 'twould 
ever come to that, I'd hire some SHAG- 
RAG or other for half a zequine to cut's 
throat. 

1612. CHAPMAN, Widow's Tears, 
Act v., 338 (Plays, 1874). To send a 
man abroad under guard of one of your 
silliest SHACK-RAGS ; that he may beat the 
knave, and run's way ? 

1615. Exch. Ware at the Second 
Hand [HALLIWELL]. A scurrie SHAG- 
RAGGE gentleman. 

1616. SCOT, Certain Pieces, &C. 

For . . . honestie is fellow SHAKER AG 
with simplicitie. 

1630. TAYLOR, Urania, 7. The 
SHAK-RAG shag-haird crue. 

1641. BROME, Jovial Crew, iii. Do 
you talk SHAKE-RAG ? heart ! yond's more 
of 'em ; I shall be beggar-mawl'd if I stay. 

1665. R. HEAD, English Rogue. 
I. ix., 71 (1874). From what Dunghil 
didst thou pick up this SHAKERAG, this 
squire of the body ? 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, i. 269. 
He was a SHAKE-RAG like fellow. 

2. (cockers' : also colloquial). 
A fighting-cock ; and so, by 
implication, a * hen of the GAME ' 
(q.v.}. 

1 700. CONGREVE, Way of the World. 
N. ii. Wit. Come Knight . . . will 
you go to a cock-match ? Sir WiL With 
a wench, Tony? Is she a SHAKE-BAG, 
sirrah ? 



Shake. 



Shake. 



1771. SMOLLETT, Humphrey Clinker 
[1900], i. 68. ' I bless God . . . that Mrs. 
Tabitha Bramble did not take the field 
to-day 1 ' I would pit her . . . against 
the best SHAKEBAG of the whole main. 



SHAKE, subs, (venery). I. A 
whore, and (2) an act of coition. 
3. (common) a standard of value, 
usually in the phrase NO GREAT 
SHAKES = anything of small ac- 
count. 4. (American) = a show. 
Also FAIR SHAKES = a tolerable 
bargain or chance. 

1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 41. Though 
NO GREAT SHAKES at learned chat. 

1820. BYRON, Letter [jo Murray], 28 
Sep. I had my hands full, and my head 
too just then, so it can be NO GREAT 
SHAKES. 

1834. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, in. ii. 
I'll give you a chant composed upon Dick 
Turpin, the highwayman. It's NO GREAT 
SHAKES, to be sure, but it's the best I 
have. 

1847. Chron. of Pineville, 34. Give 
Bill Sweeny a FAIR SHAKE, and he can 
whoop blue blazes out of ye. 

1848. DURIVAGE, Stray Subjects, 56. 
The Museum ... he didn't consider ANY 
very GREAT SHAKES. 

1855. KINGSLEY, Westward Ho, 
xxx. No GREAT SHAKES of a man to look 
to, nether. 

.1859. Newspaper Cutting' ["S"], 
200. "A SHAKE. Hope no offence ; none 
so meant, mum. A SHAKE'S a party as is 
married and as isn't, if you understand 
me, mum. ' In keeping,' some calls it." 

1865. GASKELL, Wives and Daugh- 
ters, xxi. After all, a senior wrangler was 
NO GREAT SHAKES. Any man might be 
one if he liked. 

1888. BOLDKEWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms, xxix. We didn't set up to be ANY 
GREAT SHAKES ourselves, Jim and I. 

1891. NEWMAN, Scamping Tricks, 
47. Here comes the SHAKE. 

1898. Pink '[7n and Pelican, 24. He 
was NO GREAT SHAKES as a scholar, but 
be understood racing and human nature. 



2. (various). In//. =r generic 
for unsteadiness : specifically de- 
lirium tremens. 

.1859. Western Gazetteer [BARTLETT]. 
The springs fail once in a while since the 
SHAKES of 1812. 

1884. Cornhill Mag., June, 616. 
Until she is pulled up by an attack of 
delirium tremens, or, as she and her neigh- 
bours style it, a fit of THE SHAKES. 

1898. Man of the World, 7 Dec., 5, 
3. When John has a real attack of THE 
SHAKES, we fasten the churn handle to him, 
and he brings the butter inside of fifteen 
minutes. 

1900. NISBET, Sheep's Clothing, iv. 
iv. All had experienced the SHAKES, and 
so were able to sympathise. 

5. (common). A fad. Also in 
combination : as the MILK- 
SHAKE, the VEGETARIAN-SHAKE, 

&c. SHOOK ON = in love with. 

1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms, xxiv. He was awful SHOOK ON 
Madg ; but she wouldn't look at him. 
Ibid., xxxvi. I'm regular SHOOK" ON the 
polka. Ibid., xl. A steady-going he's a 
little you understand well, SHOOK ON 
me. 

6. (colloquial). Generic for 
quick action : e.g., A GREAT 
SHAKE = a quick pace ; IN A 

BRACE (or COUPLE) OF SHAKES 
(or IN THE SHAKE OF A LAMB'S 

TAIL) = instantly. 

[ ? ]. Huntlyng of the Hare, 96. 
Thei wente a nobull SCHAKKE. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingolds. Leg. (Babes 
in the Wood). I'll be back in a COUPLE 

OF SHAKES. 

1841. Punch, \. 135. A couple of 
agues Caught, to speak vulgarly, IN A 

BRACE OF SHAKES. 

1854, MARTIN and AYTOUN, Bon 
Gaultier Ballads, ' Jupiter and the Indian 
Ale.' Quick! invent some other drink, 
Or, IN A BRACE OF SHAKES thou standest 
On Cocytus' sulph'ry brink. 

1866. READE, Cloister and Hearth, 
xciii. Now Dragon could kill a wolf in a 

BRACE OF SHAKES. 



Shake. 



(52 



Shake. 



Verb, (venery). I. See quots., 
and (2) to masturbate. 

[ ? ]. Nominate MSS., Lascivus. 
Anglice a SCHAKEKE. 

1847. HALLIWELL, Arch. Words, 
g*c., s.v. SHAKE ... (5) Futuo. This 
seems to be the ancient form of sftag, given 
by Grose. 

2. (old). To steal : e.g., TO 

SHAKE A SWELL = to rob 

a gentleman ; TO SHAKE A 
CHEST OF SLOP = to steal a 
chest of tea ; TO BE SHOOK OF A 
SKIN = to be robbed of a purse ; 
HAVE YOU SHOOK ? = Have you 
stolen anything, &c. (GROSE and 
VAUX). 

1859. KINGSLEY, Geoffrey Hantlyn, 
xix. 1 ... got from bad to worse till I 
SHOOK a nag, and got bowled out and 
lagged. 

1885. Chambers'! Journal, 21 Mar., 
190. Each man on the best stock-horse he 
could beg, borrow, or SHAKE. 

1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms, xxiv. Some well-bred horse you 
chaps have been SHAKING lately. ^Ibid., 
xxxiv. I've two minds to SHAKE him and 
leave you my horse and a share of the gold 
to boot. 

3. (common). To shake 
hands ; generally SHAKE ! 

1825. JONES, True Bottonfd Boxer 
[Univ. Songst., ii. 96]. Spring's the boy 
for ... SHAKING a flipper. 

1891. NEWMAN, Scamping Trieks, 
59. SHAKE! That's right. As we under- 
stand each other, I will now tell you how 
things ended. 

1802. Lippincott's, Oct., 501. I'd 
cure thet kid, ef it bust the plan Of the 
whole durned universe. " SHAKE!" says 
Dan. 

1900. SAVAGE, Brought to Bay, ii. 
' SHAKE, honest Injun ! ' said the Texan. 

4. (common). To throw dice, 
or (printers') ' quads ' ; to gamble 
(GROSE) : see JEFF ; and TO 

SHAKE AN ELBOW (q.V., adding 

to the latter the following earlier 
and later quotations). 



1613. WEBSTER, Devil's Law Case, 
ii. T. SHAKING YOUR ELBOW at the table- 
board . . . and resorting to your whore in 
hired velvet. 

1891. Lie. Viet. Gaz., 3 Ap. SHAK- 
ING HIS ELBOW at baccarat nearly every 
night. 

5. (common). To turn one's 
back on ; to desert. 

PHRASES and COLLOQUIALISMS. 

MORE THAN ONE CAN SHAKE 

A STICK AT = past counting ; 

NOTHING WORTH SHAKING A 

STICK AT = worthless ; TO SHAKE 
A FOOT (TOE, or LEG) = to dance ; 

TO SHAKE A LOOSE LEG (see 

LEG) ; TO SHAKE TOGETHER = 
to get on well or smoothly; TO 
SHAKE UP = to upbraid ; TO 
SHAKE A FALL = to wrestle ; TO 

SHAKE A TART = to possess a 

woman; TO SHAKE UP = (i) 
to scold, and (2) to mas- 
turbate ; TO SHAKE A CLOTH IN 
THE WIND = to be hanged 
(GROSE) ; TO SHAKE DOWN = 
(i) (see SHAKE-DOWN), and (2) 
to accommode oneself to, to settle 
down; TO SHAKE. THE GHOST 
INTO ONE = to frighten ; TO 

SHAKE THE BULLET (or RED 

RAG) = (i) see BULLET and RED, 
and (2) to threaten to discharge 
(tailors') ; TO SHAKE UP = to 
get (American); *You may go 
and SHAKE YOUR EARS '= advice 
to one who has lost his money ' 
(RAY). 
1602. SHAKSPEARE, Twelfth Night, 

U. I. Go, SHAKE YOUR EARS. 

[16?]. HOLLAND, Camden, 628. 
Mabel did SHAKE UP in some hard and 
sharpe termes a young gentleman. 

1826. NEAL, Peter Brush. I've . . . 
got more black eyes and bloody noses than 

you Could SHAKE A STICK AT. 

[ ? ]. ' CROCKETT, Tour, 87. There 
was nothing to treat a friend to that was 

Worth SHAKING A STICK AT. 

1830. BUCKSTONE, Wreck Ashore, 
ii. i. Gaf. Dance? I havn't SHAKEN A 
TOE these twenty years. 



Shake-bag. 



153 



Shake-lurk. 



1854. COLLINS, Hide and Seek, n. 
i. I can't SHAKE UP along with the rest 
of you ... I am used to hard lines and a 
wild country. 

1861. HUGHES, Tow Brown at Ox- 
ford, I. xi. The rest of the men had 

SHAKEN well TOGETHER. 

1865. MAJ. DOWNING, May-day in 
Neiu York. New York is an everlastin' 
great concern, and . . . there's about as 
many people in it as you could SHAKE A 

STICK AT. 

18 [?]. THACKERAY, Mr. Malonys 
Account of the Ball. And I'd like to hear 
the pipers blow, And SHAKE A PUT with 
Fanny there. 

1880. Scribner's Mag., Mar., 655. 
I've heard my father play it at Arrah, and 
SHOOK A FOOT myself with the lads on the 
green. 

1892. FENN, New Mistress, i. " I'm 
very, very glad to know you, my dear," 
she said warmly, " and I hope you'll come 
and see me often as soon as you get 

SHAKEN DOWN." 

1892. ANSTEY, Voces Populi, ' At the 
Military Exhibition, 72. Ain't you shot 
enough ? SHAKE A LEG, can't yer Jim ? 

SHAKE-BAG, subs. phr. (venery). 
The female pttdendum : see MO- 
NOSYLLABLE. Cf. SHAGBAG, 2. 

SHAKE-BUCKLER, subs. phr. (old). 
A swash-buckler ; a bully. 

</.i57o. BECON, Works, ii. 355. Such 
Sim SHAKE-BUCKLERS as in their young 
years fall into serving, and in their old 
years fall into beggary. 

SHAKE-DOWN, subs. phr. (com- 
mon).!. An improvised bed. 
Also as verb. (i) to sleep on 
a temporary substitute for a bed. 

^.1849. Miss EDGEWORTH, Rose, 
Thistle, and Shamrock, i. 3. I would 
not choose to put more on the floor than 
two beds and one SHAKE-DOWN. 

1821. EGAN, Real Life, n. 164. Sure 
enough a SHAKE-DOWN is a two-penny 
layer of straw, and saving the tatters on 
my back, not a covering at all at all. 

1838. MRS. HALL, Irish Character, 
137. ^ A SHAKE-DOWN had been ordered 
even in Mr. Barry's own study. 



1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., \. 
272. In the better lodginsj-houses the 
SHAKEDOWNS are small palliasses or mat- 
tresses ; in the worst they are bundles of 
rags of any kind ; but loose straw is used 
only in the country for SHAKEDOWNS. 

1858. DICKENS, Great Expectations, 
xli. He . . . advised me to look out at 
once for a "fashionable crib " near Hyde 
Park, in which he could have a SHAKE- 
DOWN. 

1860. RUSSELL, Diary in India, t. 
40. Five or six of us SHOOK DOWN for the 
night and resigned ourselves to the mus- 
quitoes and to slumber. 

1869. MRS. WOOD, Roland Yorke, 
xxxi. Where are you going to sleep ? " 
..." I dare say they can give me a 
SHAKE-DOWN at the mother's. The hearth- 
rug will do." 

1872. Sunday Times ; 18 Aug., ' Fun 
and Riddle Club.' It was resolved : The 
members of this club do retire to their 
virtuous SHAKEDOWNS to pass the rest of 
the night in the arms of Morpheus. 

1883. GREENWOOD, Odd People, 51. 
Two or three of missus's younger children 
. . . have a SHAKEDOWN on the pot-board 
beneath her, while father and mother share 
a mattress in the wash-house. 

1886. D. Telegraph, 20 Mar. At 
night he had a SHAKE-DOW - in an adjacent 
outhouse. 

1893. EMERSON, Lippo, xi. The 
butler made a collection for us and gave 
us a SHAKE DOWN in the stables on some 
nice clean hay. 

1897. MITFORD, Romance of Cape 
Frontier, i. v. He had SHAKEN-DOWN in 
Hick's room, and the two had talked . . . 
themselves to sleep. 

1901. Troddles, 122. Why not run 
on and get a SHAKEDOWN there. They'll 
do us decently and cheap if they are not 
already full. 

2. (American thieves'). A 
brothel kept by a PANEL-THIEF 



3. (American). A rough 
dance ; a BREAK-DOWN (q.v.). 

SHAKE-LURK, subs. phr. (old Cant). 
A begging petition : specifi- 
cally one on account of shipwreck : 
SHAKE-GLIM = one for fire. 



Shaker. 



'54 



Shallow. 



1857-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., i. 
333. The patterer becomes a " lurker," 
that is, an impostor ; his papers certify 
any and every ill that flesh is heir to. 
Shipwreck is called a SHAKE LURK. 

SHAKER, subs, (common). i. The 
hand : see DADDLE. 

2. (common). A shirt : see 
FLESHBAG (SNOWDON, Mag. 
Assist. (1857) 446). 

3. (busmen's). An omnibus. 

SHAKERAG. See SHAGBAG. 
SHAKESTER. See SHICKSTER. 

SHAKE-UP, subs.phr. (colloquial). 
A commotion ; a disturbance. 

SHAKY, adj. (colloquial). Any- 
thing questionable : generic 
unstable, insolvent, unwell, dis- 
honest, immoral, drunken, ig- 
norant. SHAKINESS = hesitancy, 
degeneracy. 

1841. THACKERAY, Gt. Hoggarty 
Diamond. Our director was what is 
not to be found in Johnson's Dictionary 
rather SHAKY. 

1853. LYTTON, My Novel, xi. xvii. 
I must be off presently to those three 
SHAKY voters in Fish Lane. 

1854. WHYTE MELVILLE, General 
Bounce, x. Is it not a noble ambition to 
arrive at terms of apparent intimacy with 
this SHAKY grandee ? 

1858. N. Y. Tribune, 21 Jan. Four 
. . . adverse, and several others SHAKY. 

1859. EuOT > Adam Bede, xxviii. I 
feel terribly SHAKY and dizzy. 

1861. KINGSLEY, Ravenshoe, xviii. 
Affairs are getting somewhat SHAKY there : 
Welter's tradesmen can't get any money. 

1890. ALLEN, Tents of S hem, x. I 
expect your chances would have been 

SHAKY. 

1900. SAVAGE, Brought to Bay, iv. 
A few women, faultless in attire, even if 
SHAKY in morals. 

SHALER, subs, (common). A girl. 



SH ALLEY-GO N AH EY, 

(provincial). A 
(HOTTEN). 



subs. phr. 
smock-frock 



SHALLOW, subs, (old) i. An 
empty-headed Justice of the Peace. 
[Cf. SHAKSPEARE, 2 Hen. IV. Hi. 
2.] Whence (2) = a fool ; also 
SHALLOW-LING and SHALLOW- 
PATE (B. E. and GROSE.) 

1615. SYLVESTER, Tobacco Battered 
[Century]. Can Wee suppose that any 
SHALLOWLING Can finde much good in oft- 
Tobaccoring. 

1646. British Bellman [Harl. Misc., 
yii. 633. Whores, when they have drawn 
in silly SHALLOWLINGS, will ever find some 
trick to retain them. 

1902. HEADON HILL, Caged, xxvi. 
The local SHALLOWS thought this mode o! 
entrance added dignity. 

3. (old). A low-crowned hat ; 
1 a whip-hat ' : whence LILLY- 
SHALLOW = a white whip-hat 
(GROSE and VAUX). 

4. (costermongers'). (a) The 
peculiar barrow used by street 
traders (also TROLLEY and 
WHITECHAPEL BROUGHAM : Fr. 
une bagnole} ; and (6) see quot. 
1851. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., i. 
29. The square and oval SHALLOWS are 
willow baskets, about four inches deep, and 
thirty Cinches long, by eighteen broad. 
Ibid., i. 146. Two or three customers with 
their SHALLOWS slung over their back. 

1875. GREENWOOD, Low Life Depths. 
Here they are after it in vehicles for the 
greater part ; in carts and half-carts, and 
SHALLOWS and barrows. 

1876. HINDLEY, Cheap Jack, 184. 
With a proviso that he did not go travelling 
in the country with his .SHALLOW. 

1891. M. Advertiser, 30 Mar. The 
connexion between Lord Lonsdale's travels 
. . . and his capacity to drive anything on 
wheels from a Pickford's van to a coster- 
monger's SHALLOW, is, one would fancy, 
remote enough. 

1896. SALA, London Up-to-date, 45. 
The free and independent costermonger, 
with his pal in the SHALLOW. 



Sham. 



155 



Sham. 



1899. Ev. Standard, 13 March, 8, 2. 
'A China Episode." Mathew Leveret, a 
peripatetic dealer in crockery ware, was 
driving his pony and SHALLOW . . . laden 
with crockeryware of all kinds. 

4. (tramps'). See quots. and 
SHIVERING JEMMY. 

1851-61. MAVHEW, Lonaon Lab., I. 
262. He scraped acquaintance with a 
1 school of SHALLOW COVES ' \ that is, men 
who go about half-naked, telling frightful 
tales about shipwrecks, hair-breadth es- 
capes from houses on fire, and such like 
aqueous and igneous calamities. . . . 
People got ' fly ' to the SHALLOW BRIGADE, 
so Peter came up to London to ' try his 
hand at something else.' 

1869. GREENWOOD, Seven Curses of 
London. The SHALLER, or more properly 
SHALLOW DODGE, is for a beggar to make 
capital of his rags, and a disgusting con- 
dition of semi-nudity. ... A pouncing of 
the exposed parts with common powder 
blue is found to heighten the frost-bitten 
effect. 

1877. TURNER, Vagrants, &*c., 641. 
I have been a SHALLOW-COVE, also a high- 
flyer. 

1893. Ripon Chronicle, 23 Aug. ' A 
Queer Life Story.' Billy Brum has been 
RUNNING SHALLOW at intervals in these 
parts for the past five years. By RUNNING 
SHALLOW I mean that he never wears 
either boots, coat, or hat, even in the 
depths of the most dismal winter. 

1893. EMERSON, Signor Lipj>o, x. 
I only DO THE SHALLOW on the pinch. I 
shall have to come back to the nigger busi- 
ness, its more respectable. Ibid. , x. One 
thing, I always go very 'spectable clean 
collar, clean scarf, clean boots. It's far 
better to go that way than SHALLOW. 

1900. FLYNT, Tramps, 240. One 
day he is a SHALLOW-COVE, or ' Shivering 
Jimmy.' 

To LIVE SHALLOW, verb. phr. 
(thieves'). To live quietly and in 
retirement, as when WANTED 

(q.V.) 

SHAM, subs. adj. and verb. (old). 
Generic for false. As subs. 
(i) a cheat, a trick ; (2) a substi- 
tute, as a pillow-sham, false 
sleeves, fronts, or guffs. As adj. 



spurious, counterfeit. As verb. 

to cheat ; to feign : also TO CUT 
A SHAM = ' to play a rogue's Trick ' 
(B. E. and GROSE) ; SHAMOCRAT 
= one who apes rank or wealth. 

1677. WYCHERLEY, Plain Dealer, 
iii. i. SHAMMING is telling you an insipid 
dull Lie with a dull Face, which the sly 
Wag the Author only laughs at himself; 
and, making himself believe 'tis a good 
Jest, puts the SHAM only upon himself. 

1680. PRIOR, To Fleet-wood Shepherd. 
Your Wits that fleer and SHAM, Down from 
Don Quixote to Tom Tram. 

1700. CONGREVE, Way of the World, 
v. 10. That SHAM is too gross to pass on 
me! Ibid., \. i. The discovery of your 
SHAM addresses to her, to Conceal your 
Love to her Niece, has provok'd this 
Separation. 

1722. STBELE, Conscious Lovers, i. 
Wearing SHAMS to make linen last clean a 
fortnight. 

1740. NORTH, Examen, 231. The 
word SHAM is true cant of the Newmarket 
breed. It is contracted of ' ashamed.' The 
native signification is a town lady of diver- 
sion in country maid's cloaths, who to 
make good her disguise, pretends to be so 
'SHAM'D.' Thence it became proverbial 
... so annex'd to a plot it means one that 
is fictitious and untrue. 

1778. SHERIDAN, The Rivals, i. i. 
Why does your master pass only for 
ensign ? now if he had SHAMM'D general. 

1790. FRANKLIN, Auto., 257. He 
stayed some time to exercise the men in 
SHAM attacks upon SHAM forts. 

1813. AUBREY, Lives, 'Henry Blount.' 
Two young gent, that heard Sr. H. tell 
this SHAM . . . rode the next day to St. 
Albans to enquire . . . 'twas altogether 
false. 

1817. SCOTT, Rob Roy, xxxvii. He 
SHAMMED ill, and his death was given 
publicly out in the French papers. 

3. (common). Champagne ; 

BOY (q.V.} : also SHAMMY. 

1849. THACKERAY, Pendennis, iv. 
A bottle of sherry, a bottle of SHAM, a 
bottle of port and a shass caffy, it ain't so 
bad, hay, Pen. ? 

See ABRAHAM ; SNITE. 



Shamble. 



156 



Shaney. 



SHAMBLE, subs, (old). In pi. = 
the legs. Whence SHAKE YOUR 
SHAMBLES Begone ! As verb. 
' to walk awkwardly' ; SHAM- 
BLE-LEGGED = shuffling (B. E. 
and GROSE). 

SHAM BROGUE, subs. (old). The 
Shamrock. Also SHAMROOT. 

1613. WITHERS, Abuses Strict and 
Whipt, 71. And for my cloatbing in a 
mantle goe, And feed on SHAM-ROOTS as 
the Irish doe. 

1712. Spectator, 455. I could easily 
observe ... the Spanish myrtle, the Eng- 
lish oak, the Scotch thistle, the Irish SHAM- 
BROGUE. 

SHAMELESS, subs, (old: B. E., 
^.1696). ' A bold forward Blade.' 

SHAM-LEGGER, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). A man offering worthless 
stuff for sale cheap. 

SHAM MOCK, verb. (old). To LOAF 
(?..). 

^.1704. BROWN, Works, ii. 184. Pox 
take you both for a couple of SHAMMOCKING 
rascals. 

SHAMROCK. To DROWN THE 
SHAMROCK, verb. phr. (Irish). 
To go drinking on St. Patrick's 
Day (Mar. I7th). 

1888. D. Telegraph, 22 Mar. An 
Irishman of strong national instincts, and 
resident, or 'commorant,' in Edinburgh, 
on Saturday last resolved to DROWN THE 
SHAMROCK in the orthodox fashion. 

SHAN(orSHAND), subs. (Old Cant). 
. Base coin. Hence as adj. = 
worthless (GROSE and VAUX). 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xxxii. 
' I doubt Glossin will prove but SHAND* 
after a', mistress,' said Jabot, as he passed 
through the little lobby beside the bar ; 
1 but this is a gude half-crown ony way.' 
* [Cant expression for base coin.] 



SHANDRYDAN (or SHANDRY), subs. 
(Irish). A light two - wheeled, 
one-horsed cart : hence, any old 
ricketty trap. 

1843. THACKERAY, Irish Sketch Book^ 
xii. Where all the vehicles, the cars, 
barouches and SHANDRYDANS, the carts, 
the horse- and donkey-men could have 
found stable and shelter, who can tell ? 

1861. Cornhill Ma?., v. 440. An 
ancient rickety-looking vehicle of the kind 
once known as SHANDRYDAN. 

1863. GASKELL, Sylvia's Lovers, 
xxix. I ha' been to engage a SHANDRY 
this very morn. 

1876. BRADDO -, Joshua Haggard, 
iii. An ancient white pony, which the 
Squire drove himself in a SHANDRYDAN 
of the chaise tribe, completed the Pentreath 
stud. 

1886. D. Telegraph, 10 Sep. Until 
an immense procession of buggies, wagon- 
nettes, chaise carts, and SHANDRYDANS 
had rattled by. 

1896. SALA, London Up-to-date, 43. 
I have done the Derby ... in every style 
gigs, landaus, barouches, hansoms, 

SHANDRYDANS. . . . 

SHANDY-GAFF, subs phr. (common). 
Beer and ginger-beer. 

1853. BRADLEY, V.erd. Green, i. 118. 
' He taught me to prill a devil.' ' Grill a 
devil,' groaned Miss Virginia. ' And to 
make SHANDY-GAFF and sherry cobbler, 
and brew bishop and egg flip : oh, its 
capital 1 ' 

1864 Eton Sc/tool Days } v. Chorley 
took him up the river and inducted him 
into the mysteries of SHANDY-GAFF at 
Surly. 

1871. Chambers' Journal, 9 Dec., 
771. I am sitting with him drinking 

SHANDY-GAFF. 

1872. Fun, 10 Aug. 'A Ditton 
Ditty.' So let us quaff Our SHANDY-GAKF. 

1880. MORTIMER COLLINS, Thoughts 
in my Garden, ii. 198. They bear about 
the same resemblance to real literature as 
SHANDY-GAFF to dry champagne. 

SHANEY (or SHANNY),J^. (com- 
mon). A fool. 



BLOOMFIELD, The Horkey. 
And out ran every soul beside, A SHANNY- 
pated crew, 



Shanghai. 



157 



Shank. 



SHANGHAI, subs. (American). I. 
A tall dandy [BARTLETT : In 
allusion to the long-legged fowls 
fiom Shanghai, all the rage a few 
years ago]. 

1859. Gt. Republic Mag., Jan., 70. 
I degenerated into a fop, and became a 
SHANGHAI of the most exotic breed. 

2. (Australian). A catapult: 
also as verb. 

3. (American). See quot. 

1880. Scribner's Mag., Jan., 365. 
The SHANGHAI is the glaring daub re- 
quired by some frame-makers for cheap 
auctions. They are turned out at so much 
by the day's labor, or at from 12 dollars to 
24 dollars a dozen, by the piece. All the 
skies are painted at once, then all the fore- 
grounds. Sometimes the patterns are 
stenciled. The dealer attaches the semb- 
lance of some well-known name, of which 
there are several, and without initials. 

3. (American). See quot. 
1871. 

1871. DE VERB, Americanisms, 347. 
SHANGHAI applied to sailors refers not to 
the bird, but, according to a seaman's 
statement, to the town of Shanghai, where 
the process so called is said to have been 
once very common. The latter consists in 
drugging the unlucky sailor, when he 
enjoys himself after a long cruise, on shore, 
and carrying him, while in a state of in- 
sensibility, to a vessel about to depart, 
where he finds himself upon his recovery, 
entered in all forms on the book. 

1871. New York Tribune, i Mar. 
They would have been drugged, SHANG- 
HAIED, and taken away from all means of 
making complaint. 

SHANK, subs. (B. E. and GROSE). 
In//. = the legs; GAMS (q.v.). 

TO SHANK IT (or TO RIDE 
SHANKS'S MARE, or NAG) = (l) 

to go on foot or by the MARYLE- 
BONE STAGE (q.v.) : and (2) to 
leave without ceremony (B. E. and 
GROSE). 

1302-11. Political Song's [Camden 
Soc.] 223. He [King Edward i] with the 
longe SHONKES. 



(1529. SKELTON [DvcE, Works, i. 
117]. Your wynde schakyn SHANKKES 
. . . crokyd as a camoke. Ibid. i63 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng. i. 371. The word 
SHANK had not then the lowering idea of 
our days ; it is applied to the limbs of 
Christ on the cross]. 

</.i55S. LYNDSAY, Thrie Estaitit 
[E.E.T.S. 469). 

1598. FLORIO, Worlde of Wordes, 
s.v. Gantbe, legges or SHANKES. 

1600. SHAKESPEARE, As You Like 
It, ii. 7, 161. His youthful hose, well 
saved, a world too wide, For his skrunk 

SHANK. 

1635. [GLAPTHORNE], Lady Mother 
BULLEN'S, Old Plays, ii. 131]. But come, 
stir your SHANKS nimbly or lie hough ye. 

1785. BURNS, Epistle to J. Lapraik, 
Postcript. The youngsters took the sands 
Wi' nimble SHANKS. 

1818. SCOTT, Rob Roy, xxii. Sitting 
on the bed, to rest his SHANKS, as he was 
pleased to express the accommodation 
which that posture afforded him. 

1843. THACKERAY, Irish Sketch 
Book, xvi. Along the banks you see all 
sorts of strange figures washing all sorts of 
wonderful rags, with red petticoats and 
redder SHANKS standing in the stream. 

1847. PORTER, Quarter Race, 90. 
Dick and Jule had to ride SHANKS' MAR'. 

1853. KINGSLEY, Westward Ho, xv. 

I am away to London town to speak to 

Mr. Frank!! "To London! how wilt 

.get there?" "On SHANKS HIS MARE," 

said Jack, pointing to his bandy legs. 

1857. HOOD, Pen and Pencil PiC' 
tures, 118. Three pairs of woollen socks 
. . . will cherish thy lean SHANKS, old 
fellow ! 

1885. Chambers' Journal, 2 May, 
287. Your true swagsman detests the 
sight of a horse . . . give him SHANKS' 
MARE. 

1891. Lie. Viet. Gaz., 9 Jan. The 
distance had choked off those whose only 
mode of locomotion was SHANKS'S MARE. 

iSgr. RUSSELL, Ocean Tragedy, 194. 
I could see his naked yellow SHANKS. 

1891. Globe, 5 June, 3, 3. People 
would be deprived of their habitual method 
of locomotion. Some would solve the 
difficulty by staying at home. Others 
would resort to SHANKS'S PONY ; and the 
minority to cabs. 



Shanker. 



158 



Shanty. 



1901. D. Telegraph, 28 Oct., 10, 5. 
He was much more interested in two old- 
fashioned animals, the horse and another 
strange animal enjoying the name the 
origin of which he had never yet been able 
to discover ofsHANKs's PONY. 

2. (colloquial). The fag end. 

1880. HARRIS, Uncle Remus, xv. 
Bimeby, to'rds de SHANK er de evenin". 

1888. PATON, Down the Islands. 
The old Kentuckian who in the SHANKS 
of the evening was wont to maintain there 
was no such thing as bad Kentucky 
whiskey. 

SHANKER, subs, (venery). ' A 
little Scab or Pox on the Nut 
or Glans of the Yard.' (B. E.). 

1660. Old Ballad, ' An Hist. Ballad ' 
[Ane Pleasant Garden (c.iSoo)]. A 
SHANKER'S a damn'd loveing thing where 
it seizes. 

1731. SWIFT, Young: Nymph Going 
to Bed. With gentlest touch she next 
explores Her SHANKERS, issues, running 
sores. 

1772. BRIDGES, Homer Burlesque, 
491. But Ajax gave him two such span- 
kers, They smarted worse than nodes and 

SHANKERS. 

SHANNON. ' It is said, persons 
dipped in that river are perfectly 
and for ever cured of bashfulness' 
(GROSK). 

SHANT, subs, (tramps'). A quart; 
a pot : e.g., SHANT OF GATTER 
= a pot of beer. Also SHANTY. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab. \. 
232. They have a SHANT of gatter at the 
nearest boozing ken. 

1893. EMERSON, Lippo. v. I should 
jusf think you would beg my pardon, 
and to show you mean it stand a couple of 
SHANTS of bevarly to square the boys. 

SHA'N'T, verb, (colloquial). Shall 
not. Now WE SHAN'T BE LONG 
= It's all right : a general note 
of satisfaction or agreement : a 
street catch of the late nineties. 

1897. MAUGHAM, Liza of Lambeth, 
v. Now WE SHAN'T BE LONG 1 she re- 
marked. 



SHANTY, subs, (common). I. A 
rough and tumble hut ; 2. (Aus- 
tralian and showmen's) a public- 
house ; (3) a brothel (sailors') ; 
and (4) a quart ; whence (5) beer 
money. Also as verb. = (i) to 
dwell in a hut, and (2) to take 
shelter. 

1848. COOPER, Oak Openings, 26. 
This was the second season that le Bour- 
don had occupied 'Castle Meal,' as he 
himself called the SHANTY. 

1857. HAMMOND, Wild Northern 
Scenes, 197. Mark Shuff and a friend 
. . . SHANTIED on the outlet, just at the 
foot of Tupper's Lake. Ibid. 212. We 
SHANTIED on the Ohio. 

.1859. New York Courier [BART- 
LETT]. The sportsmen . . . brace them- 
selves to meet the rude exigencies of a 
tramp and SHANTEEING OUT for a few 
days. 

1861. KINGSLEY, Ravenshoe, liv. 
There was weeping in the reed-thatched 
hovels of the Don, and in the mud-built 
SHANTIES of the Dnieper. 

1878. Century Mag. t Dec., 510. 
These droll and dirty congeries of SHAN- 
TIES and shacks. 

1886-96. MARSHALL, ' He Slum- 
bered' ['Pomes,' n8J. She scooted from 
the SHANTY. 

1887. All Year Round, 30 July, 67. 
Inns do not exist in Australia, every house 
of refreshment is a ' hotel.' It may be 
only a wooden SHANTY up-country. 

1889. H ADDON CHAMBERS, In Aus~ 
tralian Wilds, 53. I knew that there was 
no public house or SHANTY within twelve 
miles. 

1890. DILKE, Prob, Greater Britain, 
Hi. i. Kimberley is still a huge aggrega- 
tion of SHANTIES, traversed by tramways, 
and lit by electric light. 

1892. NISBET, Bushranger's Sweet 
heart, 34. " Yes ; and did you run that 
SHANTY long, Stringy ? " For three 
months and more, and did a roaring trade 
besides. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 3. 
A sand-parlour'd SHANTY. 

1893. EMERSON, Lippo, v. Any 
SHANTY in your sky-rocket? Ibid., xiv. 
Then we went out for a SHANTY, and 
when we came back Blower and Bottlenose 
were clearing up. 



Shop. 



159 



Shappo. 



2. See CHANTEY. 

SHAP, subs, (venery). i. The 
female pudendum : see MONO- 
SYLLABLE. Also SHAPE. 

[?]. Owayne Myles [MS. Cott. 
Calig. A ii. pi]. And some were yn to 
SHAPPUS And some were vp to the 
pappus. 

[ ? ]. Relig. Anti%., ii. 20. Semera- 
mis hir name . . . Which wold no man 
in eny wyse denye, But wyth her croked 
SHAP encreece and multeply. 

^.1529. SKELTON, Elynour Rummyng , 
492. An old rybybe . . . had broken her 
shyn At the the threshold comying in, And 
fell so wyde open That one myght see her 
token . . . Said Elynour Rummyng . . . 
Fy, couer thy SHAP With sum flyp flap. 

1530. PALSGRAVE, Lang. Francoyse, 
fol. xxvi. Count, a womans SHAPPE, con. 

1538. ELYOT, Diet. , s.v. Hippo-mares. 
The SHAPE of a mare. 

1847. HALLIWELL, Arch. Words, 
s.v. SHAPE. The A.S. gesceapu, verenda, 
pudenda . . . Still in common use in Lin- 
colnshire, used especially in the case of 
infants and children. 

2. (Western American). See 
quot. 

1885. STAVELY HILL, From Home 
to Home. A pair of SHAPS, or leather 
overalls, with tags and fringes down the 
seams. 

SHAPE, subs, (vulgar). In//. =(i) 
an ill-made man (B. E.), and (2) 
a tight-laced girl (HALLIWELL). 
Hence TO SHOW ONE'S SHAPE = 
(i) to strip : specifically (old) 'TO 
PEEL (q.v.) at the whipping-post* 
(GROSE), and (2) to turnaboutand 
march off; STUCK ON ONE'S SHAPE 
= pleased with one's appearance ; 
' There's a SHAPE for you ' = an 
ironical comment on a skeleton- 
like person or animal a RACK- 
OF-BONES (q.V.) J TO TRAVEL 

ON ONE'S SHAPE = to swindle, 
to live by one's appearance ; 
TO SPOIL ONE'S SHAPE = 
to be got with child ; SHAPE- 
SMITH = a stay-maker j IN GOOD 



SHAPE = quite correct ; TO CUT 
UP (or SHOW) ONE'S SHAPE = 
to frolic. 

1678. COTTON, Virgil Travestie 
[Works (1725), 74]. My son's so big 
(which rarely falls) About his - , and 
Genitals, That I am half afraid lest he 
Should chance to SPOIL her Majesty. 



</.i704. BROWN, Works, ii. 97. The 
French king who had SPOIL'D THE SHAPE 
. . . of several mistresses . . . had a mind 
to do the same by me. 

1715. GARTH, Claremont, 98. No 
SHAPE-SMITH set up shop and drove a 
trade To mend the work wise Providence 
had made. 



1896. CRANE, Maggie, vL 
Mag, I'm stuck on yer SHAPE. 



Say, 



Verb, (colloquial). To turn 
out ; to behave. 

1369. CHAUCER, Troilus, ii. 61. So 
SHOP it that hym 61 that day a tene In love, 
for whiche in wo to bedde he wente. 

1605. SHAKSPEARE, Cymbeline, v. 5, 
346. Their dear loss, The more of you 
'twas felt, the more it SHAPED Unto my 
end of stealing them. 

1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms, xxxvii. ' Well, I'm in your power, 
now,' says he, ' let's see how you'll SHAPE.' 
Ibid., xxii. We shall have to SHAPE after 
a bit. 

1891. GOULD, Double Event, 123. I 
am very anxious to see how my horse 

SHAPES. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 71. 
Briggs or no Briggs I SHAPED spiffin. 

1898. GOULD, Landed at Last, v. 
' He SHAPES as well as ever ' . . . ' Moves 
splendidly.' 

1902. Pall Mall Gaz., 7 Feb., i, a. 
We should wait to see how he SHAPED, be- 
fore deciding whether he was a personage 
to be encouraged or taught his place. 

1902. DELANNOY, 79,000, xxvl 
How do you SHAPE? . . . without bed- 
clothes and with rodent company ? or will 
you give me the letter? Ibid., xxix. He 
seems to be SHAPING himself for a straight 
jacket. 

SHAPPO, subs. (old). A hat, 'the 
newest Cant, Nab being very old, 
and grown too common ' (B. E. , 
c. 1696) ; also SHAPPEAU, SHOPPO, 
SHOPO, SHAPO [Fr. chapeau\. 
L 



Shard. 



160 



Shark. 



SHARD, To TAKE A SHARD, verb, 
phr. (provincial). To get tipsy : 
see SCREWED. 

SHARE, subs. (old). The pubes. 

[ ? ]. Ms. Porkington, 10. Sychone 
se I nevere ere Stondynge opone sen ARE. 

1609. HOLLAND, Amtnianus Mareell. 
[NARES]. Arrayed from the heele to the 
SHARE in manner of a nice and pretie 
page. 

1624. BURROUGHS, Method of Phy- 
sick [NARES]. They cannot make water, 
the SHARE becometh hard, and hath 
vehement pain. 

SHARE-PENNY, subs. phr. (old). 
A miser ; a SKINFLINT (g.v.) 

1606. Wily Beguifd [HAWKINS, 
Eng. Drama,, iii. 299]. I'll go near to 
cozen old father SHAREPENNY of his daugh- 
ter. 

SHARGE, verb, (provincial). To 
copulate : see GREENS and RIDE 
(HALLIWELL). 

SHARK, subs, and verb, (old). i. 
A greedy adventurer ; a swindler : 
also SHARKER (B. E. and GROSE). 
As verb, (or TO LIVE ON THE 
SHARK) = to live by roguery or 
thieving. Whence SH ARK-GULL = 

a FLAT -CATCHER (g.V.) ; TO 

SHARK UP to press, to enlist on 
terms of piracy ; SHARKING = (i) 
roguery, and (2) greedy, tricky. 

1590. SIR THOMAS MORE [C-Li- 
PHANT, New Eng. ii. 8]. There are the 
new verbs rooke (plunder) and SHARKE 
(prey)]. 

1596. SHAKSPEARE, Hamlet, i. i. 
Of unimproved mettle hot and full, Hath 
in the skirts of Norway, here and there, 
SHARK'D up a list of landless resolutes For 
food and diet. 

1599. JONSON, Ev. Man Out of His 
Humour. Characters . . . Shift. A 
threadbare SHARK . . . His profession is 
skeldring and odling. Ibid. (1609) Silent 
Woman, iv. 2. A very SHARK ; he set me 
in the nick t'other night at Primero. 

1606-8. BEAUMONT and FLETCLER, 
Love's Cure. Dram. Pers. A SHARKING, 
panderly constable. 



1608. DEKKER, Belman or London 
[GROSART, Works, in. 162], A crue of 
SHARKING companions (of which there be 
sundry consorts lurking about the suburbs 
of this City). 

1609. ROWLANDS, Knave of Clubs 
(Hunterian Club's Repr., 1872), 10. Two 
hungry SHARKES did trauell Paules, Vntill 
their guts cride out, And knew not how, 
with both their wits, To bring one meale 
about. 

1611. CHAPMAN, May.Day, ii. (1874) 
288. Though y'are sure of this money 
again at my hands, yet take heed how this 
same Lodovico get it from you, he's a great 

SHARKER. 

1628. EARLE, Micro-cosmog. 14. A 
SHARKE is one whome all other means 
haue fayl'd, and hee now Hues of himselfe. 
Ibid. [BLISS] 206 That does it fair and 
above-board, without legerdemain, and 
neither SHARKS for a cup or a reckoning. 



WOTTON, Letter to M. Vel- 
serus. "A dirty SHARKER about the 
Romish court, who only scribbles that he 
may dine." 

1653. MTDDLETON, Spanish Gipsy, 
II. i. A trade brave as a courtier's ; for 
some of them do but SHARK, and so do we. 

1678-1715. SOUTH, Sermons, ii. 214. 
" Wretches who live UPON THE SHARK, and 
other men's sins, the common poisoners of 
youth." 

1748. SMOLLETT, Rod, Random, iii. 
We returned to the village, my uncle mut- 
tering all the way against the old SHARK. 

1760. JOHNSTON, Chrysal, i. iv. 
Making my fortune a prey to every SHARK- 
ING projector who flattered my vanity with 
promises of success. 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xxx. 
' We want our goods, which we have been 
robbed of by these SHARKS,' said the fellow. 

1857. TROLLOPS, Three Clerks, iii. 
He expected to pay 200 a year for his 
board and lodging, which he thought 
might as well go to his niece as to some 
SHARK, who would probably starve him. 

1891. NEWMAN, Scamping Tricks, 
2. Is part of the stock of such rare old 

SHARKS. 

1898. NISBET, Hagar, 8. 'You'd 
take my money to yourself,' interrupted 
Dix with irony. ' Not if I know it, you 
SHARK | ' 



Sharp. 



161 



Sharp. 



2. (old). ' A custom-house 
officer or tide-waiter' (GROSE). 
Also in//. = the press-gang. 

1828. DOUGLAS JERROLD, Ambrose 
Giminett, i. 3. Gil. A word with you the 
SHARKS are out to-night. Label. The 
SHARKS ? Gil. Ay, the blue-jackets the 
press-gang. 

3. (old). ' One of the first 
order of pickpockets. Bow St. 
term, A.D. 1785' (GROSE). 

4. (military). A recruit. 

5. (American College). At 
Yale = reckless absence from 
college duties : of persons and 
conduct. 

6. (Western American). A 
lean hungry hog (BARTLETT). 

Verb, (colloquial). I. To 
fawn for a dinner. 

2. See subs. 

SHARP, subs. (old). i. A swindler; 
' one that lives by his Witts ' 
(B.E). ; a ROOK (q.v.) : the 
opposite of FLAT (</.v.) : also 

SHARPER: cf. SHARKER (GROSE 

and VAUX). As verb. = to 
cheat ; SHARPING (or ON THE 
SHARP) suds, and adi. = swind- 
ling ; SHARPER'S TOOLS = (i) 
fools, and (2) false dice (B. E. 
and GROSE). See BIBLE-SHARP ; 
FLATS-AND-SHARPS. 

1688. SHADWELL, Squire of Alsatia 
[Works (iT2o), iv. 18]. ' Tatts . . . what's 
that?' 'The tools of SHARPERS, false 
dice.' 

1690. DRYDEN, Don Sebastian, Epi- 
logue, 1. 35. All these young SHARPERS 
would my grace importune. Ibid. (1691), 
King Arthur, Prcl. 38. Among the rest 
there are a SHARPING set That pray for us, 
and yet against us bet. 

1693. CONGREVE, Old Batchelor, 
Dram. Pers. SHARPER. 

1706. MRS. CENTLIVRE, Basset Table, 
iv. i. But if he has got the knack of 
winning thus, he shall SHARP no more 
here, I promise him. 



1729. GAY, Polly, iii. 5. Death, sir, 
I won't be cheated. Cul. The money is 
mine. D'you take me for a SHARPER, sir? 

1748. SMOLLETT, Rod. Random, 
Iviiii. Who supported myself in the 
appearance of a gentleman by SHARPING 
and other infamous practices. 

1749. LUCAS, Gamesters, 250. She 
would PLAY altogether ON THE SHARP. 

1768. GOLDSMITH, Good Natured 
Man, i. How can I be proud of a place 
in a heart, where every SHARPER and cox- 
comb find an easy entrance. 

1789. GEO. PARKER, Life's Painter, 
142. SHARPS . . . This term is applied 
to SHARPERS in general. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, i. ii. 
From autumn to winter, from winter to 
June, The "flat" and the SHARP must 
still play the same tune. 

1830. LYTTON, Paul Clifford (Ed. 
1854), 190. ' They are both gone ON THE 
SHARP to-night,' replied the old lady. 

1837. WARREN, Diary of Physician, 
xi. I began to suspect that he was neither 
more nor less than a systematic London 
SHARPER a gamester a hanger-on about 
town. 

1843. DICKENS, Martin Chuzzlewit, 
xxxvii. Tom's evil genius did not . . . 
mark him out as the prey of ... those 
bloodless SHARPERS. 

1849. MACAULAY, Hist, oj Eng., 
xviii. The crowd of pilferers, ring-drop- 
pers, and SHARPERS who infested the 
capital. 

1861. TROLLOPS, Framley Parson- 
age, xxxiii. What an ass I have been to 
be so cozened by a SHARPER. 

1872. BESANT AND RICE, R. M. 
Mortiboy, xxiv. It is not usual to see 
men play in your fashion. You have 

SHARPED US, sir SHARPED US.' 

1886-96. MARSHALL, Beautiful Drea- 
mer ['Pomes' 65]. The SHARPS tipped 
The Lump, and left Pip in the lurch. 

2. (old). A pointed weapon : 
a sword as contrasted with a foil. 

Joseph of A rim. [E. E. T. S. ], 

17. Mony swoughninge lay thorw schin- 
dringe ofscHARPE. 

1679. BEHN, Feigned Curtizan, iii. 
These dangerous SHARPS I never lov'd, 



Sharp. 



162 



Sharp Stick. 



1697. COLLIER, Essays, ' Duelling.' 
If butchers had but the manners to go to 
SHARPS, gentlemen would be contented 
with a rubber at cuffs. 

1763. FOOTE, Mayor o/Garratt, ii. 
Why lookye, Major Sturgeon, I don't much 
care for your poppers and SHARPS. 

3. (American). An expert. 

e.i88g. Scientific Attter. [Century]. 
One entomological SHARP, who is spoken 
of as good authority estimates the annual 
loss at 300,000,000 dols. 

Adj. (B. E. c. 1 696, and GROSE). 
' Subtil, ready, quick or nimble- 
witted, forward, of lively Appre- 
hension ; also Poor and Needy.' 

Adv. (colloquial). To the 
moment : e.g. ' I'll be there at 
five o'clock SHARP.' 

1847-8. THACKERAY, Vanity fair, 
xxvii. Captain Osborne . . . will bring 
him to the . . . mess at five o'clock SHARP. 

MR. SHARP, phr. (traders'). 
A similar expression to 'TWO- 
PUN-TEN' (^.z>.)> to signify that 
a customer of suspected honesty 
is about. The shopman asks one 
of the assistants, in a voice loud 
enough to be generally heard, 
1 Has MR. SHARP come in yet ? ' 
The signal is at once understood, 
and a general look-out kept 
(HOTTEN). 

SHARP AS THE CORNER OF A 
ROUND TABLE, phr. (common). 
Stupid. 

SHARP'S THE WORD! phr. 
(colloquial). I. 'Of anyone 
very attentive to his own interest, 
and apt to take all advantage ' : 
sometimes with ' AND QUICK'S 

THE MOTION ' (GROSE) ; also 

(2) a call to brisk movement, or 
ready obedience. 

1706. VANBRUGH, Mistake [Old 
Dram., 448]. SHARP'S THE WORD [*.*., 
watchwordl. 



1708-10. SWIFT, Polite Conversation, 
iii. Lady Answ. . . . They must rise 
early that would cheat her of her Money ; 
SHARP'S THE WORD with her ; Diamonds 
cut Diamonds. 

SHARP-AND-BLUNT, subs. phr. 
(rhyming). The female puden- 
dum ; the CUNT (?.z/.) : see 
MONOSYLLABLE. 

SHARP'S ALLEY BLOODWORMS, 

subs. phr. (old). I. Beef 
sausages ; and (2) black puddings. 
[A noted abattoir near Smith- 
field.] 

SHARP-SET, adj. phr. (B. E. and 
GROSE). i. Hungry; (2) hard- 
driven. 

1577. STANIHURST, Ireland, 19. So 
SHARPE SET as to eat fried flies, butterd 
bees, stued snailes. 

1579-80. LYLY, Euphuts [OLIPHANT, 
New Eng., i. 611. He has the following 
phrases that only just appeared in English 
. . . Clounish, SHARP SET . . .]. 



SOMERVILLE, Officious Messen- 
ger. The SHARP-SET squire resolves at 
last, Whate'er befall him, not to fast. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 58. My appetite was SHARP-SET 
for a comfortable meal. 

SHARPSHIN, subs. (American). 
The smallest quantity. 

1854. KENNEDY, Swallow Barn [Da 
VERB]. This inconsiderable claim for it 
is not the value of a SHARPSHIN. 



SHARPSHOOTER, subs. (American). 
A swift clipper-built schooner. 

See DEVIL'S SHARPSHOOTERS. 

SHARP STICK, subs. phr. (Ameri- 
can). Persecution ; retribution. 

1856. Western Scenes [Ds VERB]. 
If you stay much longer, the old man will 
be after you with A SHARP STICK, and I 
don't know what you'll do to keep him 
from killing you, 



Shatterbrain. 



163 



Shave. 



1871. Trenton State Sentinel, 26 
May. The New York Tribune is still 
after Senators Carpenter, Conkling, and 
others, with a VERY SHARP STICK, for their 
ridiculous course in the arrest and im- 
prisonment of the Tribune correspondents, 
for daring to be true to the profession. 

SHATTERBRAIN (or PATE), subs. 
(colloquial). A giddy person : 

SHATTERBRAINED (or FATED) = 

heedless ; weak in intellect. See 
SHITTERBRAIN and SHUTTLE- 
HEAD. 

SHAVE, subs, (common). A nar- 
row escape ; a SQUEAK (g.v.) : 
usually with * close,' ' near,' &c. 
Whence TO MAKE A SHAVE (or 
TO SHAVE THROUGH) = to get 
through 4 by the skin of one's 
teeth.' 

1844. Puck, 14. Of all the men that 
with me read There's never one . . . But 
got thro', if he made a SHAVE on't. 

1860. RUSSELL, Diary in India, xxi. 
' By Jove ! that was a near SHAVE ! ' . . . 
a bullet whistled within an inch of our 
heads. 

1871. Daily News, 7 Mar. In those 
famous telegrams of the King the ex- 
pression, " Danke nur Gott ! " means " It 
was a close SHAVE ! " 

1876. BURNABY, Ride to Khiva, 
Intro : I had, as it is commonly termed, a 
much closer SHAVE for my life than . . . 
even if I had been taken prisoner by the 
most fanatical Turkomans in Central Asia. 

1885. Field, 4 Ap. It was a des- 
perately close SHAVE. 

1898. GOULD, Landed at Last, vii. 
We've had some narrow squeaks of missing 
him ... [a] narrow SHAVE was at York. 

2. (common). A false report ; 
a practical joke ; a SELL (q.v.) 

1854. Morning' Chronicle, 13 Dec. 
"According to camp reports or camp 
SHAVES, as they are more expressively 
termed." 

1860. RUSSELL, Diary in India, xii. 
At first a SHAVE of old Smith, then a well 
authenticated report. 

1874. Siliad, 29. The SHAVES are 
many ; so the nests of mares. 



1882. D. Telegraph, 3 Oct., 5, 7. 
Rumours of Turkish troops being landed 
as our allies adding to the SHAVES that 
hourly came out. 

1884. G. A. SALA, III. Lon. News, 
26 April, 391, 3. The legend is probably 
a mere barrack-room SHAVE, but it is 
worth noting. Ibid. (1883), Living Lon- 
don, 115. SHAVE for hoax first obtained 
currency during the Crimean War. 

3. (Stock Exchange). A 
money consideration paid for the 
right to vary a contract, by ex- 
tension of time for delivery or 
payment, &c. 

4. (theatrical). The propor- 
tion of the receipts paid to a 
travelling company by a local 
manager. 

See SHAVER. 

Verb, (old). To extort ; to 
strip; to cheat (B. E.). Hence 
SHAVING (or SHAVERY) = (i) 
usury, and (2) overcharge (with 
drapers called SHAVING THE 
LADIES). Also SHAVER = (i) a 
cheat, a swindler ; (2) a banker, 
broker, or money-lender given to 
usury; and (3) SHAVER (q.v.) : 
whence SHAVING -SHOP = a 

WILD-CAT BANK (q.V.); SHAVING- 
TERMS = make all you can. 

1548. LATIMER, Sermons, 100 [OLi- 
PHANT, New Eng., i. 515. Latimer coins 
SHAVERV, something like slavery ; to ex- 
press thj robbery of the Church]. 

1603. KNOLLES, Hist. Turks. They 
fell all into the hands of the cruel mountain 
people, living for the most part by theft, 
... by these SHAVERS the Turks were 
stript of all they had. 

1606. DEKKER, Seven Deadly Sinnes 
(ARBER'S) 40. Then haue you Brokers 
yat SHAUE poore men by most Jewish 
interest . . . Then haue you the SHAUING 
of Fatherlesse children, and of widowes, and 
that's done by Executors. Ibid.,-y). The 
next . . . was ... a SHAUER of yong 
gentlemen, before euer a haire dare peepe 
out of their chinnes ; and these are Vsurers. 

1638. FORD, Lady's Trial, ii. i. 
Wboo I the brace are flinch'd, The pair of 
SHAVERS are sneak'd from us, Don. 



Shaved. 



164 



Shaver. 



1850. DICKENS, David Copperficld, 
xxii. ' He pays well, I hope ' . . . r Pays 
as he speaks . . . through the nose . . . 
None of your close SHAVERS the Prince 
ain't." 

c. 1857. Parody on Emerson's Brahma, 
[BARTLETT]. If the stock broker thinks 
he SHAVES, Or if the victim think's he's 
SHAVED, Let both the rascals have their 
say, And he that's cheated let him pay. 

1862. North Am. Rev., July, 113. 
This Wall-Street NOTE-SHAVING life is a 
new field, a very peculiar field. 

1863. Once a Week, viii., 179. We 
have all heard for instance of an operation 
called SHAVING THE LADIES, yet we doubt 
if any lady is aware of the very clean 
SHAVE she is constantly undergoing. 

1864. SALA [Temple Bar, Dec., 40]. 
He is as dextrous as a Regent Street 
counter-jumper in the questionable art of 

SHAVING THE LADIES. 

.1870.. Life in New York [BARTLETT]. 
Make your money by SHAVING notes or 
stock-jobbing, and every door is thrown 
open ; make the same amount by selling 
Indian candy, and the cold shoulder is 
turned upon you. 

1871. D. Telegraph, 6 Oct. 'Official 
Corruption in America.' Tax-gatherers, 
brokers, SHAVERS, &c., . . . pets of the 
Treasury. 

1893. EMERSON, Lippo, xiv. What 
wages? says I. SHAVING TERMS, SHAV- 
ING TERMS, my boy, says he. 

SHAVED, adj. (common). Drunk : 
see SCREWED. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, i Hen. IV., iii. 
2. Bardolph was SHAVED . . . and I'll be 
sworn my pocket was picked. 

1834. Atlantic Club-look, i. 138. 
When I met him, he was about yes just 

about HALF SHAVED. 

1837-40. HALIBURTON, Clockmake* 
(1862), 102. They remind me of Commo- 
dore Trip. When he was about HALF- 
SHAVED he thought everybody drunk but 
himself. 



SHAVELING (or SHORLING), subs. 
(old). i. A monk : cf. BEARD- 
LING. Also (2) see SHAVER. 

^.1563. BALE, Image of Both Churches, 
xvii. 6. This Babylonish whore, or dis- 
guised synagogue of SHORLINGS, &c. 



1577. KENDALL, Epigrammes 
[NARES]. Wouldst knowe the cause why 
Ponticus Abroade she doeth not rome ? It 
is her use these SHAVELYNGS still With her 
to have at home. 

1601. HEYWOOD, Death Rob., Earl 
of Huntingdon, F%. Through that lewd 
SHAVELING will her shame be wrought. 

1630. TAYLOR, Epig., i. Curse, 
exorcise with beads, with booke and bell, 

Polluted SHAVELINGS. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, 11, xxx. 
[Note]. Pope Alexander VI. who was 
ras [A SHAVELING] was poisoned by 
another ras [A SHAVELING] with rat's 'bane. 

^.1657. J. BRADFORD, Works [Parker 
Soc. (1858)], ii. 276. That is the preroga- 
tive of the priests and shaven SHORLINGS. 
Ibid., 291. No matter ... so thou have 
the favour of the pope and his SHAVELINGS. 

1694. MOTTEUX, Rabelais, iv. 45. 
About him stood three priests, true SHAVE- 
LINGS, clean shorn and polled. 

1767. STERNE, Tristram Shandy, 
vii. 16. A poor soldier shows you his leg, 
or a SHAVELING his box. 

^.1859. MACAULAY, Moncontour. 
Alas ! we must leave thee, dear desolate 
home, To the spearmen of Uri, the SHAVE- 
LINGS of Rome. 

1883. GREEN, Cong, of England, ii. 
63. Houses guarded only by priests and 
SHAVELINGS, who dared not draw sword. 

SHAVER, subs. (old). i. A fellow ; 
a party : spec, (modern) = a more 
or less precocious youngster (B.E., 
MARTIN, and GROSE) ; (2) a 
child, but see quot. 1664. Also 
SHAVELING and SHAVE, verb. 

1586. MARLOWE, Jew of Malta, iii. 
3. Bar. Let me see, sirrah, are you not 
an old SHAVER ? Slave. Alas, sir ! I 
am a very youth. 

c.i597. Wily Beguiled [HAWKINS, 
Eng. Drama, in. 376]. If he had not 
been a merry SHAVER, I would never have 
had him. 

1630. CRIMSALL, Kind - Heartea 
Creature \_Rox. Ball. (Brit. Mus.) iii. 166]. 
This bonny Lass had caught a clap It 
seems by some young SHAUER. 

1635. CRANLEY, Amanda [NARES]. 
Thou art a hackney, that hast off beene 
tride, And art not coy to grant him such 
a favour, To try the courage of so .young 
a SHAVER. 



Shaver. 



Shears. 



1654. WEBSTER, Appius and Vir- 
ginia, u. 2. Was't you, my nimble 
SHAVER that would whet Your sword 
'gainst your commander's throat? 

1655. Hist, of Francion [NARES]. 
There were some cunning SHAVERS 
amongst us, who were very well verst in 
the art of picking locks. 

1664. COTTON, Virgil Travestie (ist 
ed.), 62. And said, My Mother's a mad 
SHAVER, No man alive knows where to 
have her. 

^.1685. Broadside Ballad, ' The Lon- 
don Lasses Folly \ (Pepys Ball. (Bodleian) 
iii. 236]. Now will I ramble up and down 
to find out this young SHAVER. 

1698. FARQUHAR, Love and a Bottle, 
iii. r. Who wou'd imagine now, that this 
young SHAVER cou'd dream of a woman 
so soon ? 

1748. SMOLLETT, Rod. Random, ix. 
He drew a pistol, and fired it at the un- 
fortunate SHAVER, who fell flat on the 
ground without speaking one word. 

</.i7o6. BURNS, A Dream. Funny, 
queer Sir John, He was an unco* SHAVER, 
For monie a day. 

1834. SOUTHEY, The Doctor. ^ No 
one has ever given him credit for being a 
cunning SHAVER. 

1836. SCOTT, Cruise of Midge, 3. 
A sharpish sort of a SHAVER. Ibid. Tom 
Cringle's Log (1836), x. A smart dandified 

SHAVER. 

1837. BARHAM. Ingoldsby Legends 
(i86a), 315. And all for a " shrimp " not 
as high as my hat A little contemptible 
SHAVER like that. 

1843. DICKENS, Martin Chuzzlewit, 
xxxiii. 323. ' Not these,' he added, looking 
down upon the boys, ' ain't them two 
young SHAVERS as was so familiar to me.' 

1854. WHYTE MELVILLE, General 
Bounce, xiv. The very youngest of the 
SHAVELINGS who aspire to dandyism call 
him "Buttercup" to his face. 

1858. G. ELIOT, Mr. Gilfifs Love- 
Story, i. Mr. Gilfil called it his wonderful 
pocket, because, as be delighted to tell the 
young SHAVERS and " two-shoes "... 
whenever he put pennies into it, they 
turned into sugar-plums or gingerbread, 
or some other nice thing. 

1874. WOOD, Johnny Ludlow, i S. 
25. The two children (little SHAVERS in 
petticoats) set up a roar in court. 

1889. Time, Aug., 153. The con- 
temptible little SHAVER. 



1893. EMERSON, Lippo, xvi. Well 
to see this young SHAVER pilot your horse 
to the post was a treat. 

2. (common). A short jacket ; 

a BUM-PERISHER (q.V.) 

3. See SHAVE. 

SHAVING - BRUSH, subs. pkt. 
(venery). The female pubic 
hair : see FLEECE and LATHER. 

SHAVINGS, subs. (old). * The clip- 
pings of money '(B. E. and GROSE). 

SHAY, subs, (common). A chaise. 

1840. LYTTON, Paul Clifford, xxxi. 
When I puts myself out of the way To 
obleedge you with a SHAY. 

SHE, subs, (once literary: now 
vulgar). A woman : also SHK- 
ONE : cf. HE = a man. Hence SHE- 
HOUSE (GROSE) = a house under 
petticoat rule ; SHE-SCHOOL = a 
girls' school. 

i6oa. SHAKSPEARE, Twelfth Night, 
' 5t 2 59- Lady, you are the cruell'st SHE 
alive. Ibid. (1605) Cymbeline, i. 3. The 
SHES of Italy should not betray Mine 
interest and bis honour. 

1648-55. FULLER, Ch. Hist., vi. 297. 
Nunneries also were good SHEE-SCHOOLS. 

^.1650. CRASH AW, To his Supposed 
Mistress. That not impossible SHE That 
shall command my heart and me. 

1704. STEELE, Lying Lover, i. i. I 
. . . gaz'd . . . till I forgot 'twas winter, 
so many pretty SHE'S marched by me. 

2. (Charterhouse). A plum 
pudding : also SHEE : cf. HE. 

SHEARER'S JOY, subs. -thr. (Aus- 
tralian). Colonial beer. 

1892. GILBERT PARKER, Round the 
Compass, 22. It was the habit afterwards 
among the seven to say that the officers of 
the Eliza Jane had been indulging in 
SHEARER'S JOY. 

SHEARS. PAIR OF SHEARS, subs, 
phr. (old). A striking likeness; 
little or no difference : e.g.) 
* There's a PAIR OF SHEARS ' = 
'They're as like as two peas.' 



Sheath. 



166 



Shed. 



1603. SHAKSPEARE, Measure for 
Measure, i. 2. There went but A PAIR 
OF SHEERS between us. 

1623. FLETCHER and ROWLEY, Maid 
of the Mill. There went but A PAIR OF 
SHEERS and a bodkin between them. 

1630. OVERBURY, Charact., 34. 
There went but A PAIRE OF SHEERES 
between him and the pursuivant of hell, 
for they both delight in sinne. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works, i. 103. And 
some report that both these fowles have 
scene Their like, that's but A PAYRE OF 
SHEERES between. 

1633. ROWLEY, Match at Midnight 
[DoosLEY, Old Plays (REED), vii. 367]. 
Why there goes but A PAIR OF SHEERS 
between a promoter and a knave. 

See KNIGHT. 

SHEATH, subs, (venery). i. The 
female pudendum : see MONO- 
SYLLABLE. 

2. (venery). The prepuce or 
foreskin. 

SHEBANG, subs. (American). 
See quots. 

1861-5. [BARTLETT, Diet. Ameri- 
canisms, s.v. SHEBANG]. A strange word 
that had its origin during the late civil 
war. It is applied alike to a room, a shop, 
or a hut, a tent, a cabin ; an engine-house. 

1871. DfiVERE, Americanisms, . . . 
SHEBANG . . . used even yet by students 
of Yale College and elsewhere to designate 
their rooms or a theatrical or other per- 
formance in a public hall, has its origin 
probably in a corruption of the French 
cabane, a hut, familiar to the troops that 
came from Louisiana, and constantly used 
in the Confederate camp for the simple 
huts, which they built with such alacrity 
and skill for their winter-quarters. 

1872. CLEMENS, Roughing It, xlvii. 
There'll be a kerridge for you . . . We've 
got a SHEBANG fixed up for you to stande 
behind. 

1899. BINSTEAD, Hounsditch Day 
by Day, 198. In a four-wheeled fever box 
you must take your beaver on your knees 
or get it hopelessly ruffled against the 
roof of the old SHEBANG. 

1902.. SAVAGE, Brought to Bay, ii. 
To-night, at your own SHEBANG, alone. 



SHEBEEN, subs. ( Irish and Scots' ) . 

(1) Any unlicensed place where 
excisable liquors are sold ; whence 

(2) a low (or wayside) public- 
house. Also as verb. , SHEBEEN- 
ING, and SHEBEENER : the last 
term applies to persons frequent- 
ing as well as to those keeping a 

SHEBEEN. 

^.1787. Kilmainham Minit [Ireland 
Sixty Years Ago (1847) 88]. With de 
stuff to a SHEBEEN we hied. 

1818. ..LADY MORGAN, Flora Ma- 
earthy, i. ii. 105. Fitted up a couple of 
bedrooms in what had lately been a mere 

SHEBEEN house. 

1841. LEVER, Charles O'Malley, vii. 
A little country ale-house, or in Irish 
parlance, SHEBEEN, which stood at the 
meeting of four bleak roads. 

1845. BUCKS-TONE, Green Bushes, \. 
2. Have you been to the SHEBEEN. 

1870. Figaro, 14 Dec. Three ex- 
tensive captures of SHEBEENERS were 
made in Glasgow on Sunday. One hun- 
dred and twenty persons were found in the 
dens. . . . Why are SHEBEENS and SHE- 
BEENERS so numerous in the North? 

1873. Scotsman, 15 Feb. TO 
OWNERS of INNS, HOTELS, and 
PUBLIC-HOUSES. XXX (who is a 
brother Innkeeper) thinks it high time that 
we form an ASSOCIATION to protect 
ourselves against Grocers, SHEBEENERS, 
and others who sell LIQUORS which 
are consumed on their Premises, and who 
hold no Licence to do so. Suggestions. 
&c. . . . 

1883. JAY, Cpnnaught Cousins, i. i. 
22. There is a little SHEBEEN close by 
where we will take a rest. 

1892. D. Chronicle, 17 Aug., 3, 7. 
CARDIFF. The designation of this 
town as "The City of Shebeens," was 
further justified to-day. 

SHED, verb, (provincial). To PISS 

(q.V.) : also TO SHED A TEAR. 

To SHED A TEAR, verb. phr. 
To take a drink : originally to 
take a dram of REAL or SHORT 
(q.v.). 

1876. HINDLEY, Cheap Jack, 156. I 
always made time to call in and SHED A 
TEAR with him for convenience and ' days 
o' lang syne." 



She-dragon. 



167 



SHE-DRAGON, subs. phr. (collo- 
quial). i. A vixen ; an elderly 
termagant. 

2. (old). A kind of wig. 

SHEENEY(orSHENEY). i. A Jew; 
a YID [q.v.): used by Gentiles 
and by Jews (jocosely by the 
latter). Whence (2) a pawn- 
broker : pawnbroking, like the 
fruit and fish trade, is mainly (in 
London at least) in the hands of 
Jews. Also as adj. base, 
Jewish, fraudulent : also SHEEN. 

1847. THACKERAY, Snobs, xiv. 
SHEENEY and Moses are . . . smoking 
their pipes before their lazy shutters in 
Seven Dials. 

1852. JUDSON, Myst. New York, iv. 
You hav'nt got no more stock than a 
broken-down SHENEY. 

1862. Cornhill Mag., vi. 648. I 
shall let old Abraham, the SHEENEY, have 
it at four punt and a half a nob. 

1866. SALA, Trip to Barbary, 16. 
He was manifestly a Jew ... a most 
splendid SHEENY. 

tr.i 870. Broadside Ballad, ' Talkative 
Man from Poplar. 1 Last Sunday he went 
down Petticoat Lane, Talked a SHEENEY 
out of his watch and chain. 

1876. HINDLEY, Cheap Jack, 307. 
Tell him that the little SHENEY . . . don't 
forget his kindness. 

1879. HORSLEY, Auto, oj Thier 
[Mac. Mag., xl. 501]. I took the daisies 
to a SHENEY down the gaff. 

1888. PAYN, Eavesdropper, n. ii. 
' Can you smash a thick 'un for me ? ' in- 
quired one, handing his friend a sovereign. 
' You're sure it ain't SHEEN ? ' returned 
the other, with a diabolical grin. 

1891. Lie. Viet. Gaz. 3 Ap. Down 
went the East-ender smothered in gore, 
and . . . from all parts of the crowd 
there came shouts of, " the SHEENIE 
wins ! " Ibid. The SHEENIES chuckled 
at the thought of the chosen race once 
more ' spoiling the Egyptians." Ibid., 
23 Jan. ' Don't like that SHEENEY friend 
of yours,' he said; 'if you don't look 
out he'll have you. 



1893. EMERSON, Lippo, xxi. I used 
to spend a couple of thick 'uns a Friday in 
fish and greenstuff, and then fill up with 
oranges and nuts for Sunday, going down 
the lane for them, buying from the 
SHEENEYS. 

SHEEP, subs, (colloquial). i. 
SHEEP like PIGEON (?.z>.) is 
commonly generic for timidity 
and basfulness. Thus, as subs. 
= a simpleton ; SHEEP-FACED 
(or SHEEPISH) = bashful (B. E. 
and GROSE) ; SHEEP'S-HEAD = 
a block-head (B. E., DYCHE, and 
GROSE) ; SHEEP - HEADED = 
stupid ; SHEEP'S HEART = a 
coward ; SHEEP - HEARTED = 
cowardly ; * LIKE A SHEEP'S 
HEAD, ALL JAW ' = ' said of a 
talkative person ' (GROSE) ; OLD 
SHEEPGUTS=a term of contempt. 

^.1556. UDAL, Fras. Apoph.^ 122. 
Those pereones who were sely poore soules 
. . . wer euen then ... by a common 
prouerbe called SHEPES HEADS or SHEPE. 

1563. Fox, Acts and Monuments, iv. 
51 [OLIPHANT, New Eng., i. 542]. Orr- 
min's old SHEEPISH now gets the new 
sense of stultus. 

1592. NASHE, Piers Pennilesse, 45. 
I haue read ouer thy SHEEPISH discourse 
. . . and entreated my patience to bee 
good to thee whilst I read it. 

SHAKSPEARE, Com. Errors, iv. 

peevish SHEEP. Ibid. (1595), 
Verona, i. i. Twenty to one then he is 
slipp'd already, And I have plaj^d the 
SHEEP in losing; him. Ibid. A silly 
answer, and fitting well a SHEEP. 

1605. CHAPMAN, All Fools, ii. Ah, 
errant SHEEP'S HEAD, hast thou lived thus 
long, And darest not look a woman in the 
face? 

1630. TAYLOR, Works [NARES]. 

Simple SHEEP-HEADED fools. 

1632. MASSINGER, Maid of Honour, 
ii. 2. Page. You, sirrah SHEEP'S-HEAD, 
With a face cut on a cat-stick? You yeoman 
fewterer. 

1693. LOCKE, Education, 70. A 
SHEEPISH or conceited creature. 

1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Bias {ROUT- 
LEDGE], 216. The SHEEPISH acquiescence 
of a man who stood in awe of an eccle- 
siastical rap on the knuckles. 



Sheep-biter. 



168 



Skeep's-eyes. 



1768. STERNE, Sent. Journey, 20. I 
never felt the pain of a SHEEPISH inferiority 
so miserably in my life. 

J 773- . GOLDSMITH, She Stools to 
Conquer, \. i. Reserved and SHEEPISH ; 
that's much against him. 

1775. SHERIDAN, Rivals, iv. i. 
Acres. A vile, SHEEP-HEARTED block- 
head ! If I hadn't the valour of St. George 
and the Dragon to boot 

1818. SCOTT, Rob Roy, ix. Why, 
thou SHEEP'S HEART, how do ye ken but 
we may can pick up some speerings of 
your valise. 

1835. DANA, Before the Mast, 155 
(Tuly 18). They've got a man for mate of 
that ship, and not a bloody SHEEP. 

1863. READE, Hard Cash, i. 137^. 
He wore a calm front of conscious recti- 
tude ; under which peeped SHEEP-FACED 
misgivings as to the result of their ad- 
vance : for like all lovers, he was half 
impudence, half timidity, and both on the 
grand scale. 

1878. JOHN PAYNE, tr. Poems of 
Villon, 87. My poor orphans, all the 
three, Are grown in age, and wit likewise, 
No SHEEPSHEADS are they, I can see. 

1900. SAVAGE, Brought to Bay, vi. 
California mine manipulators going over 
. ._ . to shear those fat-witted SHEEP, the 
British investors. 

2. (Aberdeen Univ.). See 

quot. 

1865. MACDONALD, Alec Forbes of 
Howglen, n. 5. At length a certain semi 
(second - classman, or more popularly 
SHEEP) stood up to give his opinion on 
some subject in dispute. 

PHRASES and PROVERBS. To 

WASH SHEEP WITH SCALDING 
WATER = to act absurdly; TO 
LOSE A SHEEP (erroneously SHIP) 
FOR A HALF-PENNY WORTH OF 
TAR = to go niggardly about a 
business ; ' as well be hung for a 
sheep as a lamb.' 

SHEEP- BITER, subs. phr. (old). 
i. A slinking thief; also SHEEP- 
SHEARER and SHEEP - NAPPER 
(the latter spec. =a sheep-stealer) ; 
SHEEP-BITING = sneaking. 



1588. LVLY, Man in the Moone. A 
sepulchre to seafish and others in ponds, 
moates, and rivers ; a sharpe SHEEP-BITER, 
and a marvellous mutton-monger, a gos- 
belly glutton. 

1602. SHAKSPEARE, Twelfth Night, 
ii. 5, 6. Wouldst thou not be glad to have 
the niggardly rascally SHEEP-BITER come 
by some notable shame? Ibid. (r6o3), 
Meas. for Meas., v. i, 359. You bafd- 
pated lying rascal . . . Show your SHEEP- 
BITING face and be hanged an hour. 

1611. CHAPMAN, May-day, iii. i. I 
wish all such old SHEEP-BITERS might dip 
their fingers in such sauce to their mutton. 

1620. MIDDLETON, Chaste Maid, ii. 
2. SHEEP-BITING mongrels, hand-basket 
freebooters. 

^.1704. L'ESTRANGE [Century], There 
are political SHEEP-BITERS as well as pas- 
toral, betrayers of public trust as well as of 
private. 

1712. SHIRLEY, Triumph of Wit t 
' The Black Procession,' vi. The sixteenth 
a SHEEP-NAPPER, whose trade is so deep, 
If he's caught in the corn, he's marked for 
a sheep. 

2. (old). 'A poor sorry, 
sneaking ill-lookt Fellow* (B.E.) 



SHEEP-DOG, suds, phr. (colloquial). 
See quots. 

1847. THACKERAY, Vanity Fair. it. 
ii. ' Rawdon,' said Becky . . . ' I must 
have a SHEEP-DOG ' . . . ' What the devil's 
that ? ' said his Lordship. ' A dog to keep 
the wolves off me,' Rebecca continued, 'a 
companion.' 

1882. JAMES PAYNE, Thicker than 
Water, viii. Under pretence of being my 
chaperon, or SHEEP-DOG, everyone knows 
that Mary is here for the protection of the 
public. 

SHEEP'S-CLOTHING. See WOLF. 

SHEEP'S - EYES. To CAST (or 
MAKE) SHEEP'S-EYES (or lamb's- 
eyes), verb. phr. (common). To 
ogle ; to leer (GROSE) : formerly 
to look modestly and with diffi- 
dence but always with longing 
or affection. Fr. ginginer ; lancer 
son prospectus. 



Sheets-eyes. 



169 



Sheets. 



1500-13. SKELTON, Works (DYCE), 
121. When ye kyst a SHEPYS IE. 

1590. GREENE, Francesco's Fortunes 
[in Wks. viii., 191]. That CASTING A 
SHEEPE'S EYE at hir, away he goes ; and 
euer since he lies by himselfe and pines 
away. 

1600. T. HEYWOOD, i Ed. IV. 
[PEARSON, Works (1874), i. 51]. Go to, 
Nell ; no more SHEEP'S EYES ; . . . these 
be liquorish lads. 

1611. COTGRAVE, Diet. . . . Affec- 
tionate winke, A SHEEPESEYE. 

1614. JONSON, Bartholomew Fair, v. 
3. Who chances to come by but fair Nero 
in a sculler ; And seeing Leander's naked 
leg and goodly calf, CAST at him from the 
boat A SHEEP'S EYE an' a half. 

1632. MASSINGER, Maid of Honour, 
iv. 5. His brother, nor his favourite, FuU 
gentio, Could get a SHEEP'S EYE from you, 
I being present. 

1651. CARTWRIGHT, Ordinary 
[NARES]. If I do look on any woman, 
nay, If I do cast a SHEEPSEYE upon any. 

1673. WYCHERLEY, Gentleman Dan- 
cing Master, iv. i. I saw her just now 
give him the languishing eye, as they call 
it, that is, the whiting's eye, of old called 

THE SHEEP'S-EYE. 

1675. COTTON, Scoffer Scofft [Works 
(1725), 192]. Observing what SHEEPS-EYES 
he cast. 

1708-10. SWIFT, Polite Conversation, 
i. Pray, Miss, how do you like Mr. Spruce ? 
I swear I have often seen him cast a 
SHEEP'S EYE out of a Calf's Head at you. 

1714. Spectator, No. 623. The 
steward was observed to cast A SHEEP'S 
EYE upon her, and married her within a 
month after the death of his wife. 

1748. SMOLLETT, Rod. Random, xvi. 
There was a young lady in the room, and 
she threw . . . many SHEEP'S EYES at a 
certain person whom I shall not name. 

1766. Old Song, ' The Butcher ' [ The 
Rattle}, 3. Brisk Dolly, the Cookmaid 
... At whom the young Butcher soon 
cast A SHEEP'S EYE. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingoldsby Leg., n. 
334. Her Charms will excuse one for 
casting SHEEP'S EYES at her. 

1864. G. A. LAWRENCE, Guy Living- 
stone, vii. He would stand for some time 
casting LAMB'S-EYES at the object of his 
affections to the amorous audacity of the 
full-grown SHEEP he never soared. 



1892. Tit-Bits, 19 Mar., 425, i. 
Sowerbutt had a silent regard for Ethel, 
... on more than one occasion . . . fur- 
tively casting SHEEP'S EYES at my darling. 

SHEEPSKIN, subs, (common). i. 
The diploma received on taking a 
degree ; also (2) a person who 
has taken a degree ; and (3) a 
deed or similar document [en- 
grossed on parchment]. 

1843. CARLTON, New Purchase, i. 
203. I can say as well as the best o 1 them 
SHEEPSKINS, if you don't get religion and 
be saved, you'll be lost teetotally and for- 
ever. Ibid. This apostle of ourn never 
rubbed his back agin a college, nor toted 
about no SHEEPSKINS, no, never ! . . . 
How you'd a perished in your sins, if the 
first preachers had stayed till they got 
SHEEPSKINS ! 

1853. DICKENS, Bleak House, xxxii. 
The entanglement of real estate in the 
meshes of SHEEPSKIN. 

SHEEPSKIN - FIDDLE, subs. phr. 
(old). A drum. Hence, SHEEP- 
SKIN - FIDDLER = a drummer 

(GROSE). 

SHEEPWALK, subs. (old). A 
prison. 

1781. MESSINK, Choice of Harlequin, 
' Ye Scamps, &c.,' i. In Tothill-field's gay 
SHEEPWALK, like lambs ye sport and play. 



. (Winchester). 



To duck. 



SHEET- ALLEY, subs. phr. (common). 
Bed; BLANKET-FAIR (?.#.). 

SHEETS, subs, (old). Generic for 
sexual intercourse : thus, THE 

SHAKING OF THE SHEETS = the 

act of kind (orig. the name of an 
old country dance). Also BETWEEN 
THE SHEETS = in the act ; WHITE- 
(or COLD-) SHEETS = chastity; 

STAINED (or FOUL) -SHEETS = 

fornication ; LAWFUL SHEETS = 
wedlock ; TO POSSESS A WOMAN'S 
SHEETS = to enjoy her. 



Sheets. 



170 Sheffield Handicap. 



1600. SHAKSPEARE, Much Ado, ii. 3. 
Claud, Now you talk of a sheet of paper, 
I remember a pretty jest your daughter 
told us of. Leon. O, when she had writ it 
and was reading it over, she found Bene- 
dick and Beatrice BETWEEN THE SHEET. 
Ibid. (1604), Winter's Tale, i. 2. The 
purity and WHITENESS OF MY SHEETS. 
Ibid. (1605), Cymbeline, i. 6. Should he 
make me live . . . betwixt COLD SHEETS 
whiles he is vaulting variable ramps? 
Ibid. t ii. 2. The. chastity . . . WHITER 
TII..V, THE SHEETS 1 That I might touch ! 
Ibid. (1605), Lear, iv. 6. Let copulation 
thrive ; for Gloucester's bastard son Was 
kinder to his father than my daughters' Got 
'tween the LAWFUL SHEETS. Ibid. (1596), 
Hamlet, i. 2. O, most wicked speed, to 
post With such dexterity to incestuous 
SHEETS. Ibid. (1602), Othello, ii. 3. logo. 
He hath not yet made wanton the night 
with her; and she is sport for Jove . . . 
Well, happiness to their SHEETS. 

.1603. HEYWOOD, Woman KilVd 
with Kindness, i. i. Yes, would she 
dance THE SHAKING OF THE SHEETS But 
that's the dance her husband means to 
lead her. 

1605. CHAPMAN, JONSON, &c., Insa- 
tiate Countess, ii. You must not think to 
dance THE SHAKING OF THE SHEETS alone, 
though there be not such rare phrases in't 
'tis more to the matter. 

1607. DEKKER and WEBSTER, West- 
ward Hoe, v. 2. Scrapers appear under 
the wenches' . . . window . . . Cannot 

THE SHAKING OF THE SHEETS be danced 

without your town piping ? 

1611. BARRY, Ram Alley, v. i. The 
widow and myself Will scamble out THE 

SHAKING OF THE SHEETS Without Musick. 

1612. CHAPMAN, Widow's Tears, i. 
2. Eu. I'll have thee tossed in blankets. 
Tha. In blankets, madam? You must add 
your SHEETS, and you must be the tosser. 
Ra. Nay then, sir, y'are as gross as you 
are saucy. Ibid. Ars. Did not one of 
the Countess's serving men tell us ... 
that he had already POSSESSED HER 
SHEETS. 

1633. ROWLEY, Match at Midnight^ 
iii. i. Thee and I shall dance THE SHAK- 
ING OF THE SHEETS together. 

1659. MASSINGER, City Madam, ii. 
i. In all these places . . . after ten- 
pound suppers The curtain's drawn, my 
fiddlers playing all night THE SHAKING OF 
THE SHEETS, which I have danced Again 
and again with my cockatrice. 



1630. TAYLOR, Works, ii. 96. There 
are many pretty provocatory dances, as 
the kissing dance, the cushion dance, the 
SHAKING OF THE SHEETS, and such like, 
which are important instrumentall causes 
whereby the skilfull hath both clyents and 
custome. 

1768. GAYTON, Festivous Notes, 25. 
But you Sancho, had the Austrian Don- 
zella BETWIXT THE SHEETS, where I am 
afraid you did not behave so well as was 
wished. 

A SHEET [or THREE, or FOUR 

SHEETS] IN THE WIND (or WIND'S 
EYE). More or less tipsy ; HALF 
SEAS OVER (^.z/.) : see SCREWED. 

1821. EGAN, Real Life, i. 385. Old 
Wax and Bristles is about THREE SHEETS 

IN THE WIND. 

1835. DANA, Before the Mast, 185. 
Though S. might be thought tipsy A 

SHEET OR SO IN THE WIND he was not 

more tipsy than was customary with him. 
He ... seldom went up to the town with- 
out coming down THREE SHEETS IN THE 
WIND. 

1847. PORTER, Big Bear, 172. When 
he gets THREE SHEETS spred, and is tryin' 
to unfarl the fourth, he can jist out-laugh 
the univarse. 

1879. Chambers' //., 14 June, 383. 
We had all messed together, and I'm afraid 
had got rather more than THREE SHEETS 
IN THE WIND, had aboard more than we 
could carry. 

1883. STEVENSON, Treasure of Fran- 
chard, iv. [Longman's Mag., April, 693]. 
Desprez was inclined to be A SHEET IN 
THE WIND'S EYE after dinner, especially 
after RhSne wine, his favourite weakness. 

1892. HENLEY and STEVENSON, 
Three Plays, 209. Kit. What cheer, 
mother? I'm only a SHEET IN THE WIND ; 
and who's the worse for it but me ? 

SHE-FAMILIAR, subs. phr. (old). 
A kept mistress (HALLIWELL). 

SHEFFIELD HANDICAP, subs. phr. 
(provincial). A sprint race with 
no defined SCRATCH (g.v.). The 
scratch man received an enormous 
start from an imaginary FLYER 
(q.v.}. 



She-fiunkey. 



171 



Shell. 



SHE -FLUNKEY, subs, phr* (com- 
mon). A lady's maid. 

1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, 
Hi. 244. She were a SHE-FLUNKEY, lady's 
maid, once that's how she know'd all 
about being a swell lady. 

SHEKEL, subs, (common). In //. 
= money : generic : see RHINO. 

1886. Fun, 21 July, 29. Now that 
Henry Ward Beecher is over here, intent 
on making SHEKELS Z the following anec- 
dote concerning him is worth reviving. 

1886-96. MARSHALL, Pomes [1897], 
17. He'd a pedigree long, land and 
SHEKELS galore. 

1889. Referee, 6 Jan. H. is scoop- 
ing in the SHEKELS, but you mustn't infer 
from this that he is a " She "-nie. 

1890. New York Herald, 16 April, 6. 
Mr. Philips's . . . novels bring him in as 
many SHEKELS as Ouida's. 

1892. GUNTER, Miss Dividends, x. 
Plently of SHEKELS to hire legal talent 
and pack juries. 

1897. CasselFs Saturday Journal, 
15 Sep. I do a great deal in the matri- 
monial line. One individual, more full of 
love than SHEKELS, was in here just as the 
clock was striking nine one Saturday. 

SHELF. ON THE SHELF, phr. 
(various). I. (general) = laid 
aside, in reserve, past service : Fr. 
brul& ; 2 (military) = under ar- 
rest ; 3 (old) = in pawn (GROSE) ; 
4 (thieves') = transported; 5 
(common) = dead : whence OFF 
THE SHELF = resurrected. 

1587, GASCOIGNE, Fruits oj War, 
132 [CHALMERS, Eng. Poets, ii. 522, a, 4]. 
And I that neuer yet was SET ON SHELF, 
When any sayld . . . Went after him. 

1655. HKYWOOD, Fortune by Land 
and Sea. The fates have cast us ON THE 
SHELF To hang 'twix air and water. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. ii. 
Once a distinguished leader of fashion, 
. . . but he is ON THE SHELF now. 

1833. O'CoNNELL [O'C. Correspon- 
dence (1888), i. 387]. Lord Anglesey now 
is obliged reluctantly to retire. Black- 
burne will be put ON THE SHELF. 



1842. Comic Almanack, 324. For 
though "six, seven, eight," have got, each 
of them, nicks, They, at last, lay the 
gambler undone ON THE SHELF. 

1857. TROLLOPS, Three Clerks, iv. 
What, pension him ! put him on half-pay 
SHELF HIM for life, while he was still 
anxiously expecting . . . promotion. 

c.i 870. Music Hall Song, 'Hands 
Off.' Some fine day, when I'm . . . Put 
to bed with a spade in the usual way, And 
yourself ON THE SHELF a neglected old 
maid. 

1894. Illus. Bits, 7 April, 4, 2. It 
should be explained here that [it] had been 
ON THE SHELF some time. 

1902. HUME, Crime of Crystal, \. 
Tell 'em to get back into their graves at 
once ... we don't take any folks OFF 

THE SHELF. 

SHELL, subs, (military). An un- 
dress jacket : also SHELL-JACKET. 

1886. St. James's Gazette, 22 Dec. 
Tunics and SHELLS and messing-jackets 
and caps. 

1889. Harper's Mag., Ixxx. 396. 
Three turbaned soldiers in tight SHELL- 
jackets and baggy breeches. 

2. (school). 5^quots. 

1857. T. HUGHES, Tom Brown's 
Schooldays, i. 5. The lower fifth, SHELL, 
and all the junior forms in order. 

1867. COLLINS, Public Schools, 178 
(Westminster). At the end of this room 
[the schoolroom] there is a kind of semi- 
circular apse, in which the SHELL form 
were formerly taught, and the shape of 
which is said to have given rise to this 
name, since adopted at several other public 
schools. 

1875. JEAN INGELOW, Fated to be 
Free, xix. The SHELL [Harrow] . . . 
means a sort of class between the other 
classes. 

3. (venery). The female pu- 
dendum : see MONOSYLLABLE. 

4. (old). In//- = money : see 
RHINO. Hence TO SHELL OUT 
= to pay. Fr. allonger les radis. 
SHELLING - OUT = ' clubbing 
money together ' (GROSE). 

1591. GREENE, Notable Discovery 
[Works, x. 38]. The purse, the Bong, The 
monie, the SHELS. 



Shell-back. 



172 



Shemozzle. 



1611. MIDDLETON, Roaring Girl, v. 
i. 'Tis a question whether there be any 
silver SHELLS amongst them, for all their 
satin outsides. 

1810. MOORE, Tom Crib, 27. Who 
knows but if coax'd, he may SHELL OUT 
the shiners. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. iii. 
Another kevarten . . . and if you are too 
scaly to tip for it, I'll SHELL OUT. 

1825. NEAL, Bro. Jonathan, in. 
xxxvii. Maybe you'll treat, won't you, if 
I SHELL OUT, fair ; all't I know o' the 
matter ? 



OUT a mag. 

1844. SELBY, London by Night, \. i. 
By the bye, Sh.idra.ck, you must SHELL 
OUT at once for contingencies. 

a?. 1849. EDGEWORTH, Love and Law, 
I. i. Will you be kind enough, sir, TO 
SHELL OUT for me the price of a daacent 
horse fit to mount a man like me. 

1855. BARNUM, Autobiography, 195. 
At the same time motioning to his tremb- 
ling victim to SHELL OUT. 

1860. CasselFs Mag., 4 Jan., 211. 
The grave shan't keep me quieter than the 
fifty suverins which Mr. Hewitt . . . will 
SHELL OUT in the morning. 

1892. NISBET, Bushranger's Sweet- 
heart, 75. And after they have SHELLED 
OUT, what happens ? 

1902. HEADON HILL, Caged, xiii. 
Are you prepared to keep on SHELLING 
OUT over her till kingdom come? 

5. (old). A drinking glass. 
See BROWN SHELL. 

SHELL-BACK, subs. phr. (nautical). 
A sailor : also OLD SHELL. 

1883. Graphic, 12 May, 487, 3. The 
marine was described as a joey, a jolly, a 

SHELLBACK. 

1884. RUSSELL, Jack's Courtship, \. 
It takes a sailor a long time to straighten 
his spine and get quit of the bold sheer 
that earns him the name of SHELL-BACK. 

1885. Ru NCI MAN, Skippers and 
SHELLBACKS [Title]. 

1901. WALKER, In the Blood, 29. 
All excepting the captain, who was a 
regular quiet old SHELL-BACK, 



1902. Athenceum, 8 Feb., 176, 3. 
Any one of a dozen gaunt and hungry 
SHELL-BACKS in the forecastle would have 
supported him. 

SHELL-OUT, subs. phr. (billiards). 
A variety of pool. 

1882. BRADDON, Mount Royal, xxv. 
Refraining from the relaxation of pool, or 
SHELL-OUT opining that the click of the 
balls might have an unholy sound so soon 
after a iuneral. 

S'HELP. See S'WELP. 

SHELTA. A kind of cryptic Irish 
spoken by tinkers and confirmed 
tramps ; a secret jargon com- 
posed chiefly of Gaelic words dis- 
guised by changes of initial, 
transposition of letters, back- 
slanging and similar devices. 
[Discovered by C. G. Leland and 
announced to the world in his 
book The G#SUS(lS&2); in 1886 
there was a correspondence on 
the subject in The Academy ; in 
1889 The Gypsy Lore Society 
was started and several articles on 
Shelta appeared in its Journal, 
finally in Chamber's Encyclo- 
pedia (1902) there is a long ac- 
count of this once mysterious but 
now fully explained speech.] 

SHELVE, verb, (printers'). To hold 
over part of the weekly bill ; the 
reverse of HORSING (g.v.). 

SHEMOZZLE (SHIMOZZEL or 
SHLEMOZZLE), subs. (East End). 
A difficulty. 

1899. BINSTEAD, Hounsditch Day 
by Day. It was through no recklessness 
or extravagance that he was in this SHLE- 
MOZZLE. 

1900. From the Front, 183. We 
might look upon this little CHIMOZZLE as a 
kind of misunderstanding. 

1901. J. MACLAREN COBBAN, Golden 
Tooth, 170. If Will comes out of this 

SHEMOZZLE. 

Verb. (East End). To be off; 
to decamp. 



Shenanigan. 



173 



Shicer. 



SHENANIGAN, subs. (American). 
Bounce; chaff; nonsense; trick- 
ery (BARTLETT, 1877.) 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 80. 
Never mind their SHENANIGAN. 

1901. WALKER, In the Blood, 332. 
We're mates all round, an' no more SHE- 

NANNIKIN. 

1902. A. PRATT, Great Push Exper. t 
77. A real gentleman and no SHENANIGAN. 

1902. R. BARR, The Victor, 81. If I 
were to pay them they might think there 
was some SHENANIGAN about it. 

SH E-NAPPER, subs.phr. (Old Cant). 
* A Woman Thief-catcher ; also 
a Cock (he) or Hen (she) Bawd, 
a Procuress and Debaucher of 
young Virgins ; a Maiden-head- 
jobber' (B. E. and GROSE.) 

SHE-OAK, subs.( Australian and New 
Zealand). Colonial brewed ale. 

SHEPHERD, verb, (colloquial). 
To guard ; to keep under surveil- 
lance ; to chaperon : as a ticket- 
of-leave man (see NARK, subs, and 
verb) ; an unmarried woman, or 
(mining) as in quot. 1863. Also 
(football) to head off whilst one's 
side is runuing or kicking. At 
Harrow, SHEPHERD, subs. = 
every sixth boy in the cricket-bill 
who answers for the five below 
him being present. 

1863. Once a Week, vin. 507. Having 
sunk their holes, each about a foot, and 
placed in them a pick or shovel as a sign of 
ownership, they devoted themselves to the 
laborious occupation of SHEPHERDING, 
which consists in sitting by a huge fire 
with a pipe in your mouth, telling or 
listening to interminable yarns, . . . grum- 
bling at your present and regretting your 
past luck, diversified by occasionally 
lounging up to the sinking party for the 
purpose of examining the ' tack ' thrown 
up, and criticising the progress made. 

1886. PERCY CLARKE, New Chum, 
71. The speculators who sat dangling 
their legs in their infant pits, SHEPHERDING 
their claims, awaiting with anxiety . . . 
the run of the vein. 



S HER BETTY, adv. (common). 
Drunk : see SCREWED. 

1890. Lie. Viet. Gaz., 8 Feb. By 
the time one got to bed Tom was a bit 

SHERBETTY. 

SHERIFF. The chief officer of jus 
tice within a county is naturally 
found in combination : thus 
SHERIFF'S PICTURE FRAME = 
the hangman's noose : see NUB- 

BING-CHEAT ; SHERIFF'S-JOUR- 

NEYM AN = a hangman; SHERIFF'S 
BALL = an execution : whence TO 

DANCE AT THE SHERIFF'S BALL 
AND LOLL OUT ONE'S TONGUE 
AT THE COMPANY = to hang ; 
SHERIFF'S BRACELETS = hand- 
cuffs ; SHERIFF'S HOTEL = a 
prison (GROSE). 

1824. EGAN, Boxiana, iii. 622. All 
in the SHERIFF'S PICTURE FRAME the call 
Exalted high, Dick parted with his flame, 
And all his comrades swore that he dy'd 
game. 

SHERRY(orSHIRRY),Zw. (old). 

To run away : also TO SHIRRY 
OFF (GROSE) : see ABSQUATU- 
LATE. 

SHERRY-FUG, verb. (University). 
To tipple sherry. 

SHERRY- MOOR, subs. phr. (provin- 
cial). A fright [HALLIWELL : 
From the battle of Sheriffe-muir 
when * all was blood, uproar, and 
confusion ']. 

SHET. See SHUT. 

SHEVVLE, subs, (obsolete). See 
quot. 

1864. D. News, 2 Dec. This is a 
term recently introduced as a genteel desig- 
nation for cats' meat, and evidently derived 
from CHEVAL, French for horse, as mutton 
from mouton, &c. 

SH ICER (or SH ICE), subs, (thieves').-- 
I. Any worthless person or thing: 
generic for contempt. Also 1(2) 



Shickster. 



174 



Shifter. 



= nothing; NIX (g.v.): e.g. TO 
WORK FOR SHiCE = to get no pay- 
ment. Spec. SHICE = base 
money; and, as adj., (i) spurious, 
shabby, bad : also SHICERY and 
SHICKERY ; and (2) = tipsy. 

1851-6. MAYHEW, Lon. Lab., i, 472. 
The hedge crocus is SHICKERY togged. 

1871. If/us. Sydney News, 21 Jan., 
' The Digger.' The ne'er-do-wells . . . 
are ... the first to rush to a new field, 
scrape it of its surface gold and then too 
lazy to seek further by deep sinking de- 
nounce the rush as a SHICER. 

1877. Fto* Years' Penal Servitude, 
iii. 240. I ascertained while at Dartmoor 
that a very large ' business ' is done in 
SHISE. Ibid., ii. Seeing how the fellow 
was acting he sent him two SHISE notes, 
which gave him a dose that cooked him. 

1899. BINSTEAD, Hounsditck Day 
by Day, 46. She comes over SHIKKUR 
and vants to go to shleeb. 

1901. WALKER, In the Blood, 260. 
'You're a damned good plucked un, Toby ! ' 
muttered Squiffy, 'an' ye're no SHICER.' 

SHICKSTER (SHICKSER, or 

SCHICKSTER), subs, (common). 
A woman : specifically (among 
Jews) = (i) a female servant not 
of the Jewish faith ; and (2) a 
woman of shady antecedents. 
SHICKSTER-CRABS = ladies' shoes. 

1857. SNOWDEN, Mag. Assistant (3rd 
Ed.), 446. A lady A SHIKSTER. 

1899. BINSTEAD, Hounsditch Day 
by Day, 91. ' No Mr. Motzaberger ' says 
the schveet young SHIKSA. 

1891. CAREW, Autobiography of a 
Gifsy, 414. As I was leavin' the court 
a reg'lar 'igh-flying SHICKSTER comes up. 

SHIP, subs, (back slang). Fish. 

SHIFT, verb, (common). i. To eat ; 
and especially to drink. Hence 
SHIFTER = a drunkard. 

2. (old). To change one's 
smock ; to change one's clothes. 

1695. CONGREVE, Love for Love, i. 
4. Bid Margery put more flocks in her 
bed, SHIFT twice a week, and not work so 
hard, that she may not smell so vigorously. 



To DO A SHIFT, verb. phr. 
(common). i. To go away ; to 
change one's quarters. 

1892. National Observer, 27 Feb., 
378. But if you arst me, do I ever DO A 
SHIFT? Am I particklerly partial to a 
fuss? ... Speaking as one man to 
another, Yuss 1 

2. (common). To evacuate. 

To SHIFT ONE'S BOB. See 
BOB. 

SHIFTER, subs, (old). i. An in- 
triguer : SHIFTY-COVE = a trick- 
ster (GROSE). Also (2) = a thief; 
(3) a sharper ; and (4) a drunkard. 
Whence SHIFTY (or SHIFTING) = 
tricky (now recognised) ; SHIFT- 
ING = (i) shuffling, stealing, 
swindling ; and (2) = drinking. 

AWDELEY, Fraternitye oj 
As well as of rufling Vaca- 
bondes, as of beggerley, . . . with a 
Description of the Crafty Company of 
Cousoners and SHIFTERS. [Title.] 

1584. ROBINSON, Pleasant Delights 
[ARBER], 14. Maids must be manerly, 
not full of scurility, .wherein I see you 
excel . . . You are a trim SHIFTER. 

1593. SHAKSPEARE, Com. of Errors, 
iii. 2, 187. I see a man here needs not 
live by SHIFTS. 

1598. FLORIO, Worlde of Wordes, 
Bazaro ... a SHIFTER, a conicatcher 
... a haltersacke. 

1601. JONSON, Poetaster, iii. i. Thou 
art an honest SHIFTER; I'll have the 
statue repealed for thee. 

1607. Common Council Enactment. 
SHIFTERS, people lyvinge by Cozeainge, 
Stealinge, and Imbeazellinge of Men's 
Goodes as opportunitye may serve them. 

1608. WlTHALS, Diet. A SHIFTER 

whome they call a cunny-catcher. 

1610. Mir. for Mags. ,144. Nought 
more than subtill SHIFTINGS did we please, 
With bloodshed, craftie undermining men. 

1616. Richard Cabinet [NARES], 
SHIFTING doeth many times incurre the 
indignitie of reproch, and to be counted a 
SHIFTER, is as if a man would say in 
plain e tearmes a coosener, 



Shifting-ballast. 175 



Shilly-shally. 



1630. TAYLOR, Works [NARES]. 
And let those SHIFTERS their own judges 
be, If they have not bin arrant thieves to 
me. 

1637. HEYWOOD, R oyal King [PEAR- 
SON, Works (1874), vi. 38]. He scorns to 
be a changeling or a SHIFT. 

1639. FLETCHER, The Bloody 
Brother, iv. 2. " They have so little As 
well may free them from the name of 
SHIFTER." 

1659. MILTON, Civil Power \Cen- 
/wry]. Sly and SHIFTING. 

2. (thieves'). An alarm : as 
given by one thief in watching to 
another 'on the job.' VAUX 
(1812). 

SHIFTING-BALLAST, subs. phr. (old 
nautical). Landsmen on board 
ship : spec, soldiers (GROSE). 

SHIFT-WORK (or SERVICE), subs, 
phr. (venery). Fornication. 

SHIG, subs. (East End). In//. = 
money: specifically silver. At 
Winchester SHIG = a shilling 
(MANSFIELD, ^.1840). 

SHIGGERS, subs. pi. (Winchester). 
White football trousers costing 
los. : see SHIG. 

SHIKERRY. See SHICER. 

SHILLAGALEE, subs. (American). 
A loafer. 



SHILLING. To TAKE THE KING'S 
(or QUEEN'S) SHILLING, verb, 
phr. (colloquial). To enlist. 
.1702. [ASHTON, Social Life in the 
Reign of Queen Anne (1882-3), 20 3] 
The QUEEN'S SHILLING once being taken 
. . . there was no help for the recruit 
unless he was bought out. 

1706. FARQUHAR, Recruiting Officer, 
ii. 3. Copt, P. Come my lads . . . the 
army is the place to make you men for 
ever. Pear. Captain, give me a SHIL- 
LING ; I'll follow you. 



SHILLING-SHOCKER (or -DREAD- 
FUL), subs. phr. (literary). A 
sensation novel sold at a shilling : 
a fashion initiated (1887) by 
The Mystery of a Hansom Cao, 
by Mr. Fergus Hume : cf. PENNY- 
AWFUL. 

1885. Athen&uin, 14 Nov., 638. Mr 
Stevenson is writing another SHILLING- 
DREADFUL. 

1887. ///. London News, 17 Sept., 
345, x. The three-volume novel may be 
dying out, as they tell us ; but we have 
the SHILLING SHOCKER rampant among us. 

1890. Academy, 22 Feb., 130, 2. I 
have often wondered why the experiences 
of the Styrian arsenic-eaters . . . has not 
been utilised by the writer of some three- 
volume novel or SHILLING SHOCKER. 

SHILLY-SHALLY (also SHALLY - 
SHALLY), verb. phr. (colloquial). 
To trifle ; not to know one's 
mind ; TO STAND SHILLY- 
SHALLY = to be irresolute 
(GROSE). Hence SHILLY-SHALLY 
(or SHILLY-SHALLYING) = inde- 
cision [Shall I ? Shall I ?] ; 
SHILLY-SHALLIER = a trifler. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works, iii. 3. There's 
no delay, they ne're stand SHALL I SHALL 
I : Hermogenes with Dallila doth dally. 

1665. HOWARD, Committee, iii. Tell 
her your mind 1 ne'er stand SHILLY 

SHALLY. 

1699. CONGREVE, Way of the World, 
iii. 15. I don't stand SHILL I, SHALL I, 
then ; if I say't, I'll do't. 

1703. STEELE, Tender Husband, iii. 
i. Why should I stand SHALLY-SHALLY 
like a Country Bumpkin. 

1709. KING, Eagle and Robin, 92. 
Bob did not SKILLS-SHALL-! go, Nor said 
one word of friend or foe. 

1782. BURNEY, Cecilia, v. 119 [On- 
PHANT, New Eng., ii. 188. The SKILL I, 
SHALL I of Congreve becomes SHILLY 
SHALLY]. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 27. I never STAND SHILLY- 
SHALLY : begone, you are free. 

1830. LYTTON, Paul Clifiord (1854), 
177. Your friends starve before your eyes, 
while you are SHILLY-SHALLYING about 
your mistress. 



Shimmy. 



176 



Shindy. 



1834. SOUTHEY, TJie Doctor, cv. He 

Was no SHILLY SHALLIER. 

1849. THACKERAY, Pendennis, 
xxxvii. I'll have no more letters nor no 
more SHILLY-SHALLY. 

1883. JAMES PAYN, Thicker than 
Water, xvii. He says he will have no 
more SHILLY -SHALLYING, but will you take 
the Lady or will you not? 

1884. Sat, Review, 8 March, 299, 2. 
He relapses into SHILLY-SHALLY under 
cover of General Graham's feat. 

SHIMMY (or SHI MM EY), sttbs. (col- 
loquial). A chemise. Also (Fel- 
sted) = a shirt : obsolete. 

1837. MARRYATT, Snarley Yow, xliv. 
We have nothing here but petticoats and 
SHIMMEYS . . . Never mind I'll lend you 
a SHIMMEY. 

1856. Dow, Sermons [BARTLETT]. 
As interesting a sight ... as a SHIMMEY 
in a wash-tub. 

18 [?]. A Tale of Sleepy Hollow 
[BARTLETT]. The ghost was Aunt Kate's 
SHIMMEYS pinned on the line to dry. 

SHIN, verb, (colloquial). Generic 
for action : spec, to walk, to 
tramp : also TO SHIN IT. Hence 
TO SHIN UP = to climb; TO 

SHIN IT (SHIN ROUND, or BREAK 

SHINS) = to go a round of lenders : 
whence SHINNER = a borrower; 
TO SHIN OUT OF = to clear off; 
TO BREAK ONE'S SHINS (see 
above) ; also (2) to be in a hurry ; 
and (3) to fall against, or over, a 
person or thing ; AGAINST ONE'S 
SHINS = unwillingly (RAY). Also 
SHINNY (American) = a negro 
tramp : cf. HOBOE. 

1836. DANA, Before the Mast, 284. 
We had to furl them again in a snow- 
squall, and SHIN UP and DOWN single ropes 
caked with ice. 

1838. JSTS.M., Charcoal Sketches, The 
Fleshy One, n. 13. ' SHIN IT, good man," 
ejaculated a good-natured urchin. 

1845. New York Com. Adv., 13 Dec. 
The Senator was SHINNING AROUND, to 
get gold for the rascally bank-rags. 

1857. HUGHES, Tom Browns School- 
days, \. g. Nothing for it but the tree ; so 
Tom laid his bones to it SHINNING UP as 
a.s fast he could, 



i8[?]. Pearl St., 123 [BARTLETT]. 
"Any thing over?" is an expression used 
by SHINNERS, on applying to their acquaint- 
ances for the needful ; and if so, it is 
expected that you will oblige the SHINNER. 

1868. C. READE and BOUCICAULT, 
Foul Play, 158. I know I didn't ought to 
ax a parson to SHIN UP a tree for me. 

1871. DEVERE, Americanisms . . . 
To obtain money he has probably had 
much SHINNING to do, as slang calls the 
running about to friends and acquaint- 
ances. 

1882. ANSTEY, Vice-Versa, xvi. 
SHIN OUT OF this, whatever y'are, we don't 
contrack to carry no imps on this line. 

1884. CLEMENS, Huck. Finn, iv. I 
was up in a second and SHINNING DOWN 
the hill. 

1891. RUSSELL, Ocean Tragedy, 86. 
I sprang and had soon SHINNED as high as 
the topgallant-yard. 

1900. GUNTER, Princess of C., 7. 
Lay low, but tell yer dad to SHIN UP here 
quick. 

1900. FLYNT, Tramps, 109. My 
knowledge of the SHINIES is very meagre. 
Ibid., 323. The ' blanket stiff,' the 'gay- 
cat,' 'THE SHINNY,' the ' Frenchy,' and 
the ' ex-prushun ' were all there. 

1902. HEADON HILL, Caged, xxxiv. 
Hill . . . make a rope of the bed-clothes 
and SHIN DOWN with her in his arms. 

2. (common). To kick on the 
shins. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingold. Leg., n. 351. 
A ring give him room, or he'll SHIN you 
stand clear. 

1864. Eton School Days, xiii. He 
could not go out . . . without someone 
throwing a stone at him, or hissing, or 
SHINNING him if he passed near enough. 

SHINDY, subs. (old). I. A dance 
(GROSE) : in Western America 
SHINDIG = a noisy dance. 

2. (common). A disturbance ; 
a quarrel : also SHINTY. Whence 
(3) a boisterous SPREE (q.v.). 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. iii. 
The Jack Tar is quite pleased with his 
night's cruise, and is continually singing 
out, " What a prime SHINDY, my mess- 
mates J " 



Shine. 



177 



Shine. 



1837. BARHAM, Ingoldsby Legends 

(1862), 204. he won't kick up such 

SHINDIES, Were she once fairly married 
and off to the Indies. 

1841. Comic Almanack, 260. Veil, 
sartingly its vindy ; and here's a pretty 

SHINDY. 

1847. THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, n. 
xix. There's a regular SHINTY in the 
house ; and everything at sixes and sevens. 

1864. Derby-day, 8. He asked them 
if they wanted to insult him grossly, and 
there was a very comfortable little SHINDY 
over it. 

_ 1869. MRS. WOOD. Roland Yorke, 
xiii. " Which cheque ? . . . "The one 
there's all this SHINDY over at Greatorex 
and Greatorex "s." 

1 889. Cassetts Sat. //. , 19 Jan. , 398. 
It was safe to prophecy that there would 
shortly be a SHINDY somewhere. 

1892. KIPLING, Barrack Room Bal- 
lads, ' The Legend of Evil.' He wint to 
stop the SHINDY, The Devil wid a stable- 
fork bedivillin* their tails. 

1897. MITFORD, Romance of Cafe 
Frontier, n. iii. Did you get hit in 
that SHINDY just now? 

4. (American). A liking; a 
fancy. 

1859. HALIBURTON, Human Nature, 
70. Father took a wonderful SHINDY to 
Jessie ; for even old men can't help liking 
beauty. 

SHINE, subs, (common). I. A 
happening ; a TO-DO (g.v.), 
whether warlike or not ; speci- 
fically a frolic. Hence (2) = 
show, or display ; and (3) a row, 
a SHINDY (q.V.). To CUT A 

SHINE = to make a show ; EVERY 
SHINE = every one. As verb. = 
(i) to make a stir, or impression, 
and (2) to raise or show money ; 

TO TAKE THE SHINE OUT OF = 

(i) to outwit, and (2) put in the 
shade ; TO SHINE UP (or TAKE A 
SHINE) TO = to make oneself 
agreeable ; to have a fancy for. 

1818. EGAN, Boxiana, i. 23. Who 
was selected to punish this Venetian for 
his vain-boasting, that he would TAKE THE 
SHINE OUT OF Englishmen ! Ibid. (1842), 
By-Blow ofthejitg {Captain Macheatk}. 
To the end of your life CUT A SHINE. 



1835. HALIBURTON, Clockmaker 
i S., xvi. They fairly TAKE THE SHINE 
off creation they are actilly equal to cash. 

1843. Major Jones's Courtship, ii. 
They was all cornin' to me bout it, and 
SHININ' and disputin' so I couldn't hardly 
hear one from tother. 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life. To 
make a SHINE with Sally I took her a new 



1847. THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, n. 
xxv. A long, thin, queer-looking, oldish 
fellow a dry fellow though, that TOOK 
THE SHINE OUT OP a man in the talking 
line. 

1848. BURTON, Waggeries, 78. Quite 
careless as to what ' didoes and SHINES ' he 
might cut in future. 

1848. RUXTON, Far West, 13. I say. 
It won't SHINE, and whar's the dollars? 
Ibid., 174. You can't SHINE. 

1851. COBB, Mississippi Scenes, 155. 
I'm pretty much like the old man, only I 
took a sort o' SHINE to old Cass. 

1852. DICKENS, Bleak House, Ivii. 
There'd be a pretty SHINE made if I was 
to go a-wisitin them, I think." 

1853. Diogenes, n. 46. And TAKE 
OUT THEIR SHINE With a jolly large fine. 

1856. Dow, Sermons, i. I've seen 
some evening twilights that TAKE THE 
SHINE OFF everything below. 



Sp. of Times 
You will find heaps of 



.1859. New York 
[BARTLETT]. You will p o 

bogus money here, but bogus men CAN'T 
SHINE. 

1861. KINGSLEY, Ravenshoe, xli. 
There's mostly a SHINE of a Sunday even- 
ing. 

1864. Hertford Post, 14 July. The 
public . . . will pronounce her the finest 
and most comfortable boat they have ever 
visited, and be satisfied that she is bound 

TO SHINE* 

1866. Major D owning' s Letters, 37. 
I'm sorry he didn't bring his pitch-pipe 
with him, just to take the SHINE of them 
'are singers. 

1869. STOWE, Oldtown, 235. She 
needn't think she's goin' to come round 
me with any o' her SHINES, . . . with 
lying stories about me. 

1883. T. WINTHROP, John Brent, 1 7 
I've TUK A middlin' SHINE TO you, and 
don't want to see yer neck broke. 



Shiner. 



Shingle. 



1886. Congregationalist, 4 Feb. 
Mother was always hecterin' me about 
getting married, and wantin' I should 
SHINE up to this likely girl and that. 

1886. McCuNTOCK, Beetle's Marr. 
I TOOK A great SHINE TO the schoolma'am. 

4. (common). Money : ge- 
neric: see RHINO. 

1842. EGAN, Bould Yeoman [Captain 
Macheath], Then the High-toby gloque 
drew his cutlass so fine ; Says he to the 
farmer, you or I for the SHINE. 

5. (venery). In pi. copula- 
tion : see GREENS and RIDE. 

6. (military). A flash : e.g., 
from a rifle. 

1892. KIPLING, Barrack Room Bal- 
lads, ' The Young Brotish Soldier.' Shoot 
low at the limbers an 1 don't mind the 



SHINER, suds. (old). A coin: 
spec, a gold piece. In pi. 
money : generic : Also SHINO 
and SHINERY. 

1760. FOOTE, The Minor, ii. To let 
a lord of lands want SHINERS, 'tis a shame. 

1781. MESSINK, Choice of Harlequin. 
'Ye Scamps, &c.' First you touch the 
SHINERS. 

1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 27. Who 
knows but if coax'd he may shell out the 

SHINERS. 

1834. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, in. i. 
But when from his pocket the SHINERS he 
drew, And offered to ' make up the hun- 
dred to two.' 

1839. DICKENS, Oliver Twist, xix. 
' Fagin,' said Sykes, . . . ' is it worth 
fifty SHINERS extra, if it's sately done from 
the outside ? ' 

1848. DURIVAGE, Stray Subjects, 82. 
In one corner . . . was stowed away a 
goodly quantum of the SHINERS. 

1857. READE, Never too Late to 
Mend, i. We'll soon fill both pockets 
with the SHINERV in California. 

1886-96. MARSHALL, ' Pomes' front 
the Pink ' Un, 8. I don't want a SHINER 
that's only splashed, 



1892. CHEVALIER, Idler, June, 540. 
I've got a little nipper, when 'e talks, I'll 
lay yer forty SHINERS to a QUID, You'll take 
'im for the father, me the kid. 

1890. Detroit Free Press, 10 May. 
Come, down with the SHINO. 

2. (old). A looking - glass 
(GROSE and VAUX). 

3. (common). A silk hat. 

1885. FRANCIS, On Angling, 179. 
A tall black hat, or one of the genus called 
SHINER, I do not recommend. 

1^02. D. Telegraph, 31 Oct. 10, 6. 
The little man with the tall SHINER. 

4. (old). A clever fellow. 

5. (tailors'). A boaster. Also 
SHINE = to boast. 

THE SHINERS, subs, (military). 
The Northumberland Fusiliers, 
formerly The 5th Foot. [From 
smart appearance at the time of 
The Seven Years' War.] 

SHINE- (or SHINEY-) RAG. To 
WIN THE SHINE-RAG, verb. phr. 
(old). See quot. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., 20 
He lost again, and some one bantering 
said, 'You'll WIN THE SHINE-RAG, Joe,' 
meaning that he would be ' cracked up,' 
or ruined, if he continued. 

SHIN FEAST, subs, (provincial). A 
good fire (HALLIWELL). 

SHINGLE, subs. (American). A 
signboard. To HANG OUT (or 

STICK UP) ONE'S SHINGLE = to 

start business; SHINGLE-SPLIT- 
TING (obs. Tasmanian), see quot. 

1830. Hobart Town Almanack, 89. 
When a man gets behindhand with his 
creditors . . . and rusticates in the 
country ... he is said to be SHINGLE- 
SPLITTING. 

1848. N.Y. Com. Adv., 24 Dec. 
Doctors and dentists from the U. S. have 

STUCK UP THEIR SHINGLES in Mexico. 

1852. FUDSON, Myst. q/ New York, 
xiv. The legal gentleman had no par- 
ticular office, nor HUNG he OUT A SHINQLR 
Anywhere, 



Shingle-tramper. 1 79 



Shinscraper. 



1884. BELLAMY, Dr. Heidenhojff's 
Process, 99. There was a modest SHINGLE 
bearing the name ' Dr. Gustav Heidenhoff' 
fastened up on the side of the bouse. 

Verb, (common). To chastise. 

TO HAVE A SHINGLE SHORT, 

verb. phr. (Australian). To be 
crazy ; to have a tile loose. 

SHINGLE-TRAMPER, subs. phr. 
(nautical). A coastguardsman. 

SHINING-LIGHT, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). An exemplar. 

tt.i 7 o6. BURNS, Holy Willys Prayer. 
2. A burnin' and a SHININ' LIGHT To a' 
this place. 

1892. SaZa's Jour., 2 July, 220. 
They are simply following the example of 
other SHINING LIGHTS in the profession. 

SHINKIN-AP-MORGAN, subs. phr. 
(old) A Welshman. 

c.i 660. Broadside Ballad, 'A Beggar 
I'll Be ' [FARMER, Musa Pedestris (1896), 
29]. With SHINKIN-AP-MORGAN, with 
Blue-cap, or Teague, We into no Covenant 
enter, nor League. 

SKINNER, subs. (old). See quots. 

1585. Nomenclator, 167. An hose, 
a nether stocke, a SHINNEK. 

1598. FLORIO, Worlde of Wordes. 
Calcetle, hosen, or neather stockings, or 

SHINNERS. 

See SHIN, verb. 

SHINNY (or SHINY), adj. (Ameri- 
can). Drunk: see SCREWED. 

SHIN PLASTER, subs. (American). 
See quot. i8qo. 

1838. NEAL, Charcoal Sketches, 
II. 23. If you have no brass and no tin, 
give us a SHINPLASTER then them's my 
terms. 

1845. New Vork Tribune, 3 Dec. 
The people may whistle for protection, 
and put up with what SHINPLASTER rags 
they can get. 

1848. DURIVAGE, Stray Subjects, 
135. The cards were dealt, a brace of 
bands were played, and I won his ' Red 

Dog' SHINPLASTER. 



1848. LOWELL, Biglow Papers . . . 
If greenbacks ain't not just the cheese, I 
guess there's evils that's extremer ; For 
instance, SHINPLASTER idees, Like them 
put out by Gov'nor Seymour. 

1852. L 'Allegro: As Good as a 
Comedy, 60. A greasy citizen, holding 
out a couple of SHINPLASTERS of single 
dollar denomination. 

1856. Dow, Sermons, I. 309. Hope's 
brightest visions absquatulate with their 
golden promises before the least cloud of 
disappointment, and leave not a SHIN- 
PLASTER behind. 

1862. Punch, 19 July, Yankee 
Stories. King Dollar 'ginst us he may 
turn, But we have King SHINPLASTER. 

c.i 866. The Disseminator. A grocer 
of New York, who had set up an opposi- 
tion to the whole batch of suspended 
banks, found his SHIN-PLASTERS returned- 
to him in such quantities, that, on count- 
ing over his " money," he found that he 
had redeemed about 100 dols. more than 
he had ever issued. 

1890. Cent. Diet. s.v. SHINPLASTER 
... A small paper note used as money ; 
a printed promise to pay a small sum 
issued as money without legal security. 
The name came into early use in the 
United States for notes issued on private 
responsibility, in denominations of from 
three to fifty cents, as substitutes for the 
small coins withdrawn from circulation 
during a suspension of specie payments ; 
people were therefore obliged to accept 
them, although very few of them were 
ever redeemed. Such notes abounded 
during the financial panic beginning with 
1837, and during the early part of the 
Civil War of 1861-5. After the latter 
period they were replaced by the frac- 
tional notes issued by the Government 
and properly secured, to which the name 
was transferred. 

SHIN-RAPPER, subs. phr. 
(knackers'). i. A disabling 
blow on the splint bone ; also (2) 
one who delivers such a blow. 

1885. D. Tel., 30 Sep. Every 
great stable in England had the fear of 
the poisoner, the SHIN-RAPPER, and the 
nobbier constantly in view. 

SHINSCRAPER, subs, (thieves'). 
The treadmill : see EVERLAST- 
ING-STAIRCASE. 



Ship. 



1 80 



Shirallee. 



SHIP, subs, (printers' colloquial). 
A body of compositors working 
together ; one acts as clicker, 
takes charge and makes out the 
general bill which is shared and 
shared alike. [An abbreviation 
of "companionship."] 

Verb, (common.) I. To dis- 
miss; TO SACK (q.V.) Also (2) 
to expel ; to rusticate (Ameri- 
can Univ.); (3) to turn out of 
bed, mattress on top (Sherborne 
School) ; and (4) to turn back 
in a lesson (Shrewsbury School). 
_ 1857. TROLLOPE, Three Clerks, 
xviii. I'm to stay at the office till 
seven o'clock for a month, and old Fools- 
cap says he'll SHIP me the next time I'm 
absent half-an-hour without leave. 

SHIP BLOWN UP AT POINT 
NONPLUS, />fcr. (old). 'Exempli- 
fies the quietus of a man when 
plucked penniless ; or, genteelly 
expelled. Oxf. Univ. cant' 
(GROSE). 

See ANNO DOMINI ; HOME ; 
PUMP. 

SHIP- HUSBAND, subs. phr. (nau- 
tical). See quot. 
^1842. MARRY AT, Percival Keene, 
xviii. He was, as we use the term at 
sea, a regular SHIP-HUSBAND that is to 
say, he seldom put his foot on shore ; 
and if he did, he always appeared anxious 
to get on board again. 

SHIP-IN-FULL-SAIL, subs. phr. 
(rhyming). A pot of ale. 

SHIP OF THE DESERT, subs, phr. 
(common). A camel. 

1869. Notes and Queries, 4 S. iv. 
3 July, 10. By whom was the camel 
first called "THE SHIP OF THE DESERT ? " 

SHIP-SHAPE, adj. (colloquial). 
Spick and span ; smart above and 
below : originally SHIP-SHAPE 
AND BRISTOL FASHION. [Bris- 
tol's fame as a port in early days 
was far higher than now] (GROSE). 



1835. DANA, Bejore the Mast, 25 
Aug. Everything was SHIP-SHAPE AND 
BRISTOL FASHION. There was no rust, no 
dirt, no rigging hanging slack, no fag ends 
of ropes and ' Irish pendants ' aloft, and 
the yards were squared ' to a t ' by lifts 
and braces. 

1848. DICKENS, Dombey and Son, 
xxiii. Wal'r will have wrote home . . . 
and made all taut and SHIP-SHAPE. 

1874. E. L. LINTON, Patricia Kern- 
ball, ii. Though we can go on very well 
as we are, she must have everything SHIP- 
SHAPE and nice when she comes. 

1891. Lie. Viet. Mirror, 3 Jan. 7, 2. 
No time was lost in putting the ring SHIP- 
SHAPE. 



SHIRK, verb. (Eton College : obso- 
lete). See quot. 

1857-64. BRINSLEY RICHARDS, Seven 
Years at Eton (1883). SHIRKING was a 
marvellous invention. Fellows were al- 
lowed to boat on the river, but all the 
approaches to it were out of bounds ; we 
might walk on the terrace of Windsor 
Castle, but it was unlawful to be caught in 
the streets of Windsor which led to the 
terrace ... If, out of bounds, you saw a 
master coming, you had to SHIRK, which 
was done by merely stepping into a shop. 
The master might see you but he was sup- 
posed not to see you. The absurdity was 
. . . that to buy anything in the shops in 
High Street, where all the school trades- 
men dwelt, we were obliged to go out of 
bounds. 

To SHIRK IN, verb. phr. (Win- 
chester). To walk into water in- 
stead of plunging. To SHIRK 
OUT = to go out contrary to rules. 
Whence SHIRKSTER = one who 
shirks. 



SHIRKER, subs, (hunting). One 
who prefers the road to cross- 
country riding : cf. SKIRTER. 

1885. Field, 4 Ap. Once in a way 
the roadsters and SHIRKERS are distinctly 
favoured. 

SHIRALLEE, subs. (Australian). 
SWAG (q.v.}; a bundle of 
blankets. 



Shirt. 



181 



Shit. 



SHIRT. To GET ONE'S SHIRT OUT 
(or LOSE ONE'S SHIRT), verb.phr. 
(common). To make (or get) 
angry. Hence, SHlRTY=angry, 
ill-tempered. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lat>.,\\\. 
147. They knocked his back as they went 
over, and he got SHIRTEY. 

1897. MAUGHAM, Liza of Lambeth, 
Hi. You ain't SHIRTY 'cause I kissed yer ? 

COLLOQUIALISMS. To BET 
ONE'S SHIRT (or PUT ONE'S 
SHIRT ON) = to risk all ; TO FLY 

ROUND AND TEAR ONE'S SHIRT 

=to bestir oneself; SHIRT (or 
FLAG) IN THE WIND = a frag- 
ment seen through the fly, or 
through a hole in the breech ; 
* THAT'S UP YOUR SHIRT' = 
' That's a puzzler for you ' ; ' Do 
AS MY SHIRT DOES ' = ' Kiss 

my arse ! ' 

c. 1 707. Ballad q/ Old Proverbs [ D u R- 
FEY, Pills, &c. (1707)], ii. 112. But if she 
prove her self a Flurt, Then she may DO 

AS DOES MY SHIRT. 

See also BOILED SHIRT; BLOODY 
SHIRT ; HISTORICAL (or ILLUS- 
TRATED) SHIRT. 



SHIRT-SLEEVIE, subs. phr. (Stony- 
hurst). A dance : on winter 
Saturday evenings, and sometimes 
in the open air at the end of sum- 
mer term. [The costume is 
an open flannel shirt and flannel 
trousers. ] 

SHISE. See SHICE. 

SHIT (or SHITE), subs, (vulgar). 
Excrement : as verb. = to ease the 
bowels. Whence, SHIT = violent 
abuse : generic. Thus SHITSACK 
= (i) 'a dastardly fellow,' and (2) 
a Nonconformist (GROSE) : also 
SHIT-STICKS, SHIT-RAG, SHIT- 
FELLOW, c. ; SHITTEN = worth- 



less, contemptible ; SHIDDLE- 

CUM-SHITE (SHITTLE-CUM-SHAW 

or SHITTLETIDEE) = nouns or 
exclamations of contempt ; SHIT- 
FIRE = a bully ; SKITTERS = the 
diarrhoea ; SHIT-BAG = the belly : 
in//. = the guts ; SHIT-HOUSE = 
a privy ; SHIT- POT = a rotten or 
worthless humbug ; SHIT-HUNTER 
(or STIR-SHIT) = a sod ; SHIT- 
SHARK = a gold-finder ; SHIT- 
SHOE (or SHIT-SHOD) = derisive 
to one who has bedaubed his 
boot ; SHIT-HOLE = the rectum ; 

and TO SHIT THROUGH THE 

TEETH = to vomit. Also PRO- 
VERBS and PROVERBIAL SAY- 
INGS : ' SHITTEN-CUM-SHITE'S 
the beginning of love' (pro- 
verbial) ; ' Wish in one hand and 
SHIT in the other, and see which 
will first fill' ; ' Only a little 
clean SHIT (Scottict, ' clean 
dirt ') ' : derisive to one bedaubed 
or bewrayed ; ' He (she, or it) 
looks as though the Devil had 
SHIT 'em flying ' : of things and 
persons mean, dwarfed, eccentric, 
or ridiculous ; ' Like SHIT (stick- 
ing) TO A SHOVEL' : very adhesive 
indeed ; ' To swallow a sovereign 
and SHIT it in silver' = the 
height of convenience ; ' SHIT in 
your teeth ' (old) = a foul retort 
on somebody who does not agree 
with you ; * It shines like a 
SHITTEN barn-door' (GROSE) ; 
'All is not butter the cow 
SH TS ' ; ' Claw a churl by the 
breech (or culls JONSON) and 
he'll SH in your fist'; 'The 
devil SH s upon a great heap ' ; 
'SHITTEN luck's good luck'; 
' Lincolnshire, where hogs SH 
soap, and crows SH fire ' ; ' Go 
and eat coke and SHIT cinders' 
(popular) = derisive and defiant ; 
' Thought lay abed and SHIT 
himself, and thought he hadn't 
done it.' 



Skit. 



182 



Shivaroo. 



1576. Merit Tales of Skelton, ix. 
Skelton then caste downe the clothes, and 
the frere dyd lye starke naked : then Skel- 
ton dyd SHITE vpon the freeres nauil. 

1598. FLORID, Worlde of Wordes. 
Dometa, an old worde for a SMITTEN fel- 
lw, or good man turde, for meta is a heape 
of turde. Ibid., Cacastraccie, a SHITE- 
RAGS, an idle laxie fellow. Ibid., Cocas- 
tecchi ... a SHITE-STICKS. 

<r.i6oo. MONTGOMERY, Poems [S.T.S.], 
I. 85, 'Fly ting.' Halland-shaker, draught- 
raiker, bannock-baiker, ale-BESHiTTEN. 

c.i6i6. JONSON, Epigrams, 'On the 
Famous Voyage.' Alas ! they will BE- 
SHITE us. Ibid. And in so SHITTEN sort 
so long had used him. 

16 [?]. TAYLOR and SHIPMAN, Gro- 
biana's Nuptials, Sc. 7 [MS.(Bodleian)3o, 

leaf 2l]. Is SHITTEN CUM SHITES THE BE- 
GINNINGS OF LOVE ? why then, Tantoblin, 
thou art happye, Grobiana's thyne, the 
proverbe gives it thee. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, I. iv. 
Such SHITTEN stuff! Ibid., I. xi. He 
pissed in his shoes, SHIT in his shirt, and 
wiped his nose on his sleeve. 

1656. Muses Recr. [HOTTEN], 24. 
Here have I seen old John Jones, From 
this hill, SHITE to yonder stones. 

1658. PHILLIPS, Mysteries of Love 
and Eloquence, 169. Q. Why is ' sweet 
mistress so usual a complement ? ^.lie- 
cause SHITTEN COMES SHITES IS THE 
BEGINNING OF LOVE. 

1662. Rump Songs, ii. 3. That of 
all kinds of Luck, SHITTEN LUCK is the 
best. Ibid., ii. 24. For it SHIT from Ports- 
mouth to Wallingford House. 

1664. COTTON, Virgil Travestie (ist 
ed.), 97. The SHIT-BREECH'D elfe Would 
shoot like Robin-Hood himself. 

1665. PEPYS, Diary, 6 Ap. Sir G. 
Carteret . . . called Sir W. Batten in his 
discourse at the table to us ... SHITTEN 
FOOLE, which vexed me. 

1678. COTTON, Virgil Travestie 
[ Works (1725) 80]. Among his Mates, and 
wishes rather, (And so the Strippling told 
his Father) For noughty Vermin that 
would bite him, Or Throstle Neast though't 
did . 

1647-80. ROCHESTER, The Restora- 
tion. Made them SHIT as small as rats. 

^.1704. T. BROWN, Works, ii. 180. 
Knocking a SHITING porter down ... in 
his own sir-reverence 1 . 



< 1706. WARD, Wooden World, 69. 'A 
Sailor.' No man can ever have a greater 
contempt for Death, for every day he con- 
stantly SHITS on his own grave. Ibid. 
(1718), Helter Skelter. I say, sir, you're 
a mean SHIT-FIRE. 

1707. Old Ballad, ' As the Fryer he 
Went along ' [DURFEY, Pills, &c. (1707), 

111. 130]. The Maid she SH , and a 

Jolly brown T out of her Jolly brown 

Hole. 

1708-10. SWIFT, Polite Conversation, 
ii. The young Gentlewoman is his Sweet- 
heart ; . . . They say in our Country, that 
SHITTEN-CUM-SH1TE IS THE BEGINNING OF 
LOVE. 

c.1710. Broadside Song, 'The Lass 
with the Velvet Arse' [FARMER, Merry 
Songs and Ballads (1897), i. 214]. When 

E'er she went to SH If twas ne'er such 

a little bit ... She always wiped it with 
brown Paper. 

.1714. SWIFT, Miscell., ' On the Dis- 
covery of the Longitude.' Now Ditton 
and Whiston may both be be-pist on, And 
Whiston and Ditton may both be BE-SHIT 
on. 

1719. DURFEY, Pills to Purge, iv. 

112. SHITTEN COME SHITE THE BEGIN- 
NING OF LOVE is, And for her Favour I 
care not a Pin. 

.1731. Windsor Medley, 13. How 

the old Proverb lyes, that says, SH N 

LUCK'S good. 

3.1749. ROBERTSON of Struan, Poems. 
To be strain'd in Marriage-Press Is 
honourable ... I confess, But never when 
the Bed's BESHIT. 

1772. BRIDGES, Burlesque Homer, 
96. May I be trampl'd, pist, and SH T 
on, If I don't think you're right. 

1787. BURNS, Death, and Dr. Horn- 
book. Just SHIT in a kail-blade and send't. 

1826. BURTON, Mugging- Maid 
[Univ. Songst., iii. 103. Why lie ye in 

that ditch, so snug, With s and filth 

bewrayed. 

1838. LUCIAN REDIVIVUS, Paradise 

Lost, 80. Fearing he had himself. 

Ibid., 82. Don't make a bother, Wish in 

one hand, and in t'other, And which 

will fill the first, says I, You'll soon dis- 
cover if you try. 

SHIVAROO, subs. (Australian). 
A spree : see quot. 

1888. Bulletin, 6 Oct. Both these 
fair Toby Tosspots are well-known in the 
Upper Circles of the Beautiful Harbour, 
and are seen at Government House SHIVA- 
ROOS with the regularity of clockwork. 



Shiver. 



183 



Shoe. 



SHIVER, subs, (colloquial). 
//. = the ague ; chills. 

See BEAT and TIMBERS. 

SHIVERING JEMMY (or JAMES), 

subs. phr. (streets'). See quot. 

1887. Standard, 20 June, 5, 2. The 
half-hearted beggars . . . are the ' Shal- 
low Coves' and SHIVERING JEMMIES of 
London slang. 

1900. FLYNT, TRAMPS, 240. One 
day he is a 'shallow cove' or a SHIVER- 
ING-JIMMY. 

SHIVERY-SHAKY, adv. phr. (com- 
mon). Trembling; SHI VERY - 
SHAKES = chills. 

1864. Derby -day, 54. He's all 
SHIVERY-SHAKY, as if he'd got the staggers, 
or the cold shivers. 

SHO, intj. (American). Pshaw ! 

1851. SEAWORTHY, Bertie, 36. 
'True, as my name's James Ragsdale>' 
'SHO !' 

SHOARD. To TAKE A SHOARD, 
verb. phr. (provincial). To get 
tipsy : see SCREWED. 

SHO AT (or SHOTE), subs. (Ameri- 
can). See quots. 

i8[?J. HILL, Stories [BARTLETT]. 
Seth Slope was what we call Down East a 
poor SHOTE, his principal businesss being 
to pick up chips, feed the hogs, &c. 

1856. Dow, Sermons [BARTLETT]. 
If you . . . make a proper use of your 
time, happiness, peace, and contentment 
are yours ; if not, you will always be 
miserable SHOATS. 

SHOCK, subs. (B. E., ^.1696). ' A 
Brunt. To stand the SHOCK, to 
bear the brunt.' SHOCKING, 
what is offensive, grating, griev- 
ous, and espec. indecent. 

SHOCKER, subs, (common). Any- 
thing to surprise or startle. See 
SHILLING SHOCKER. 

1898. GOULD, Golden Ruin, vii. 
' This is a surprise . . . but I am heartily 
glad to see you ' . . . ' Thought I should 
give you a SHOCKER.' 

SHOCKING, See HAT. 



In SHOD. See SHOE. 



SHODDY, subs, (colloquial). i. 
Old material cloth, rags, &c. 
ground up or shredded, and re- 
woven with a new warp. Hence 
(2) anything of poor quality or 
pretentious reputation : spec, (in 
derision) a workman in a woollen 
factory. Also as adj. = sham. 
Also derivatives such as 

SHODDYITE, SHODDYISE, &C. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lot., 
ii. 34. The fabric thus snatched, as it 
were, from the ruins of cloth, is known as 
SHODDY. 

1864. Spectator, 355. The mixture 
of good wool and rotten SHODDY we call 
broad-cloth. 

1869. FROUDE, Address at St. 
Andrews, 12 Mar. We have false 
weights, false measures, cheating and 
SHODDY everywhere. 

1871. LOWELL, Study Windows, 56. 
A horrible consciousness of SHODDY 
running through politics, manners, art, 
literature, nay, religion itself. 

1872. Ev. Standard, n Dec. ' Ag. 
Lab. Movement.' There were things that 
Parliament could do. It could abolish 
the truck system, whether in SHODDY or 
in cider, and could provide that money 
should be paid in the coin of the realm. 

1880. OUIDA, MotJts, vii. In New 
York she and hers were deemed SHODDY 
the very SHODDIEST of SHODDY and 
were looked coldly on, and were left un- 
visited. 

1881. D. M. WALLACE, Russia, 
176. The Russian merchant's osten- 
tion is ... entirely different from 
English snobbery and American SHODDY- 
ISM . . . He never affects to be other 
than he really is. 

1883. Belfast Weekly Northern 
Whig, \ Feb. i, 9. Cloaks lined with 
ostrich feathers are now in style, but the 
worst of this fashion is that if a woman 
leaves it unbuttoned, she is accounted a 
SHODDYITE, more anxious for vulgar dis- 
play than comfort, while if she keeps it 
buttoned it might just as well be lined 
with red flannel for no one can see it. 

1889. Academy, n May, 325. 
Philosophic SHODDY. 

SHOE, subs, (old local).- A room 
in Southgate Debtors' Prison. 



Shoe. 



184 



Shoe. 



PHRASES, COLLOQUIALISMS, 
and PROVERBIAL SAYINGS To 
WIN ONE'S SHOES (old tourna- 
ment) to vanquish one's adver- 
sary ; TO DIE IN ONE'S SHOES 
(or BOOTS) = to be hanged : see 
LADDER; TO SHOE THE WILD 
COLT = to be initiated, ' to exact 
FOOTING ' (q.v.) ; also TO SHOE ; 
TO SHOE ALL ROUND = to pro- 
vide hat-band, gloves, and scarf 
at a funeral ; many SHOEINGS 
being only partial (GROSE) ; TO 
MAKE CHILDREN'S SHOES = to 
look ridiculous; TO LICK 
ONE'S SHOES = to fawn on ; to 
cringe ; TO MAKE FEET FOR 
CHILDREN'S SHOES = to copu- 
late : see GREENS AND RIDE ; 
IN ANOTHER'S SHOES = in his 
place; TO PUT THE SHOE ON 
THE RIGHT FOOT = to lay blame 
(or praise) where justly due ; TO 

TREAD ONE'S SHOE STRAIGHT 
= to do what is right and proper ; 
TO TREAD ONE'S SHOE AWRY = ( I ) 
to play fast and loose ; and spec. 
(2) to play the whore ; TO SHOE 
THE GOOSE = to undertake any- 
thing absurd or futile : cf> * He 
that will meddle with all things 
may go SHOE THE GOSLINS ' ; and 
(2) to get tipsy : TO SHOE THE 
COBBLER = to tap the ice quickly 
with the forefoot when sliding : 
see COBBLER'S-KNOCK ; TO WAIT 
FOR DEAD MEN'S SHOES (see 
DEAD MEN'S SHOES) ; TO THROW 
AN OLD SHOE = * to wish them 
Luck on their Business ' (B. E.) ; 
' THE SHOE PINCHES (of untoward 
circumstances or events) ; also 
* No man knows where THE 
SHOE PINCHES but he who wears 

it' (B. E.) ; ANOTHER PAIR OF 

SHOES = something quite dif- 
ferent : Fr. une autre paire de 
manches ; OVER SHOES, OVER 
BOOTS = ' in for a sheep, in for a 
lamb ' ; ' ONE SHOE will not fit all 



feet ' = * People nor circum- 
stances are not all alike ' ; * He 
came in hosed and SHOD ' = ' He 
was born to a good estate.' 

[ ? ] MS. Lincoln, A. i. ij f. 149. 
How that thir Knyghtis have WONE 

THAIR SCHONE. 

1383. CHAUCER, Caste Tales, 9426. 
I wot best, wher WRINGETH ME MY SHO. 

^.1529. SKELTON, Colyn Clout. 
What hath lay men to do THE GRAY 

GOSE FOR TO SHO. 

^.1530. Par lament of Byrdes [HAZ- 
LITT, Early Pop. Poet., iii. 179]. Who 
wyll smatter what euery man doose, May 
go helpe TO SHOO THE GOOSE. 

1546. HEYWOOD, 46, sign. C. 
[NARES]. Now for good lucke CAST AN 
OLD SHOE after me. 

1573-9. HARVEY, Letters [Camden 
Soc. 83 [OLIPHANT, New Eng., i. 591. 
Men know where THE SHOE PINCHETH ; 
. . . substituted for Chaucer's wringetk], 

1606. Ret.Jrom Parnassus [NARES]. 
Linden may shortly THROW AN OLD SHOE 
after us. 

1609. SHAKSPEARE, Tempest, iii. 2. 
How does thy hohour. Let me LICK THY 

SHOE. 

1611. COTGRAVE, Diet. [HALLIWELL]. 
A woman to play false, enter a man more 
than she ought, or TREAD HER SHOOK 
AWRY. 

1613. FLETCHER, Honest Man's 
Fort., v. i. Captain, YOUR SHOES 
are old, pray put them off, And LET ONE 
FLING 'em after us. 

1621. JONSON, Masque of Gypsies. 
Hard AFTER AN OLD SHOE, I'll be merry. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works, ii. 145. For 
where true courage roots, The proverb 
says, ONCE OVER SHOES, O'ER BOOTS. 

1633. MARMYON, Fine Compan. 
[NARES]. Well, mistresse 



THROW AN OLD SHOE after US. 



. pray 



1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, iv., 
xlv. [BoHN]. Whoever refused to do 
this should presently swing for it and DIE 

IN HIS SHOES. 

1663. STAPYLTON, The Slighted 
Maid, 30. I'll THROW MARC ANTONY'S 
OLD SHOE after you. 

1663. KILLIGREW, Parson's Wed- 
ding [DoDSLEY, Old Plays (REED), xi. 
499], Ay, with all my heart, there's AN 
OLD SHOE AFTER YOU. 



Shoe-buckles. 



'85 



Shoemaker. 



1682. BEHN, Roundheads . . . 
Hews. " Who, pox ! shall we stand 
MAKING CHILDREN'S SHOES all the year? 
No : let's begin to settle the nation, I say, 
and go through-stitch with our work." 

1708-10. SWIFT, Polite Conversation, 

\. Col. Mr. Buzzard has married 

again ! Lady Smart. This is his Fourth 
Wife ; Then he has been SHOD ROUND. 

</.i734. NORTH, Life of Lord Guild- 
ford, ii. 96. He used to say George (his 
son) would DIE IN HIS SHOES. 

1742. BRANSTON [WALPOLE, Lett, to 
Mann (1833), I. 180]. At the end of the 
walk hung a rogue on a gibbet ! He 
beheld it and wept, for it caus'd him to 
muse on Full many a Campbell, that DIED 

WITH HIS SHOES ON. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 146. I promised to place him IN 
MY LATE MISTRESS'S SHOES. 

1840. BARHAM, Ingold. Leg. And 
there is Sir Carnaby Jenks, of the Blues, 
All come to see a man DIE IN HIS SHOES. 

1842. TAYLOR, Edwin the Fair, 
iii. 8. Not alone them that were placed 
by Edred IN THE SHOES of seculars that 
by Edred were expulsed. 

1861. DICKENS, Great Expectations 
. . . We'll show 'em ANOTHER PAIR OF 
SHOES than that, Pip, won't us ? 

1868. BREWER, Phrase and Fablt, 
s.v. SHOEING THE WILD COLT. Exacting 
a fine called ' footing ' from a new comer, 
who is called the ' colt.' Of course, the 
play is between the words ' shoeing ' and 
' footing. ' 

SHOE BUCKLES. NOT WORTH 

SHOE-BUCKLES, phr. (old). Of 

little account (!<AY). 

SHOE-HORN, verb. (old). To 
cuckold. 

.1650. BRATHWAYTE, Barnaby's Jl. 
1723), 45. Venus swore . . . She'd 
SHOOE-HORN her Vulcan's Forehead. 

SHOEING-HORN, subs. phr. (old). 
A pretext or incitement. 

1562-3. STILL, Gammer Gur ton's 



Shall serve as a SHOING-HORNE, to draw on 
two pots of ale. 



1592. NASHE, Pierce Penilesse 
[Works, ii. 81], To haue some SHOOING 
HORNE to pull on your wine, as a rasher of 
the coles, or a redde herring, to stirre it 
about with a candles ende to make it taste 
better, and not to holde your peace whiles 
the pot is stirring. 

.1620. FLETCHER and MASSINGER, 
False One, iv. 2. They swear they'll flea 
us, and then dry our quarters, A rasher of 
a salt lover is such a SHOEING-HORN. 

1621. BURTON, Anat. Melan., 246. 
By little and little, by that SHOEING-HORN 
of idleness . . . melancholy . . . is drawn 
on. 

16 [?]. Haven of Health, cxxxii. 134. 
Yet a gamond of bacon well dressed is a 
good SHOOING HORN to pull down a cup of 
wine. 

_ c.i620. Disc, of New World, 68. Then, 
sir, comes me up a service of SHOOING- 
HORNES (do yee see) of all sorts ; salt-cakes, 
red herrings, anchoves, and gammons of 
bacon and aboundance of such pullers-on. 

1712. Spectator, No. 536. Most of 
our fine young ladies . . . retain in their 
service, by some small encouragement, as 
great a number as they can of super- 
numerary and insignificant fellows, which 
they use like whifflers, and commonly call 
SHOEING-HORNS. These are never designed 
to know the length of the foot, but only, 
when a good offer comes, to whet and spin 
him up to the point. 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xxiv. 
This, and some other desultory conver- 
sation, served as a SHOEING-HORN to draw 
on another cup of ale. 

SHOE-LEATHER ! tntf. (thieves'). 
A cry of warning ; * Look out ! ' 
Fr. 'C&ou ! chou ! ' or 'Acresto ! ' 

SHOEMAKER. PHRASES, &c. 'Who 
goes worse shod than the SHOE- 
MAKER'S WIFE' (B. E.) = an 
excuse for the lack of something 
one ought to possess; IN THE 
SHOEMAKER'S STOCKS = ' pincht 
with straight shoes ' (B. E. ) ; 
SHOE-MAKER'S PRIDE = creaking 
shoes; SHOE-MAKER'S HOLIDAY 
(see quot. 1793, an( * '/ CRISPIN'S 
HOLIDAY). 



Shoesmith, 



1 86 



Shoo. 



1793. European Mag., 172. There 
was nothing which he [Oliver Goldsmith] 
enjoyed better than what he used 
facetiously to term a SHOEMAKER'S HOLI- 
DAY. . . . Three or four of his intimate 
friends rendevoused at his chambers to 
breakfast about ten o'clock in the morning ; 
at eleven they proceeded, by the City Road 
and through the fields, to Highbury Barn 
to dinner ; about six o'clock in the evening 
they adjourned to White Conduit House to 
drink tea ; and concluded the evening by 
supping at the Grecian or Temple Ex- 
change coffee houses, or at the Globe in 
Fleet Street. . . . The whole expenses of 
this day's fete never exceeded a crown, and 
. . . oftener from three-and-sixpence to 
four shillings, for which the party obtained 
good air and exercise, good living, the 
example of simple manners, and good 
conversation. 

SHOESMITH, subs, (colloquial). 
A cobbler. 

SHOESTRING, subs. (American). 
A small bet run up to a large 
amount. 

SHOFUL(SHOWFULL or SCHOFEL), 
subs, and adj. (common). 
Generic for anybody or anything 
questionable. Spec. SHOFUL, 
subs. = (i) base money (also SHO- 
FUL MONEY) : whence SHOFUL- 
PITCHER = a dealer in counterfeit ; 

SHOFUL - PITCHING = SHOVING 
THE QUEER (^.Z/.) J SHOFUL- 

JEWELLERY = pinchbeck gauds. 
Also (2) = a hansom cab (see quot. 
1851), and SHOVEL (g.v.). 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Lond. Lab., i. 26. 
SHOWFULLS, bad money. Ibid., i. 279. 
A racketty place, sir [of a beer-shop], one 
of the SHOWFULLS ; a dicky one ; a free- 
and-easy. Ibid., II. 554. I don't think 
those SHOFULS (Hansoms) should be al- 
lowed the fact is, if the driver is not a tall 
man he can't see his horse's head. Ibid., 
in. 363. The Hansom's, which are always 
called SHOWFULLS by the cabmen. SHOW- 
FULL, in slang, means counterfeit, and the 
SHOWFULL cabs are an infringement on 
Hansom's patent. Ibid. (1856), Gt. World 
of London, 47. The SHOFUL-MEN, or 
those who plunder by counterfeits, as 
coiners and forgers of checks and notes, 
and wills. 



1866. London Miscellany, 3 Mar., 57. 
That ... is old Finlaison the fence. . . . 
He used to be a SHOFUL MAN once dealt 
in bad money, you know. 

1882. SMYTHE-PALMER, Folk-Ety- 
mology ; s.v. SHOWFULL or SHOFUL. A 
cant term which originated amongst the 
Jews, and is theHeb. ShafaKptshaphat), 
low, base, vile, the word which David 
applied to himself when he danced before 
the ark. 

1890. Tit-Bits, 15 Mar., 362. There 
wasn't a SHOFUL on the stand ; so I works 
the oracle, and drives him off easy. 

1891. CAREW, Auto, of a Gipsy, 417. 
Palmer got down and heaved the sackful o" 
SHOFUL into the river . . . and SHOFUL it 
were right enough hevery bloomin' bounce. 
Ibid., 17. SHOFUL-PITCHING, fawney- 
rigging and the thousand and one in- 
genious devices whereby the impecunious 
endeavour to augment balances at their 
bankers. 

1897. D. Telegraph, 14 Sept, 9, 3. 
There is plenty of room for improvement 
in the accommodation which 'growlers' 
and SHOFULS offer to the bicycle. 

1899. POT and SWEARS, Scarlet City, 
177. When I had despatched the tele- 
gram I found Anthony ensconced in what 
he called a spicy SHOWFUL. 

IQOI. BINSTEAD, More Gats Gossip, 
86. He stopped the shabby SHOFUL. 

SHOG, subs. (old). A jog: also as 
verb. to be off. 

1599. SHAKSPEARE, Hen. V., ii. 3, 
47. Shall we SHOG? The King will be 
gone from Southampton. 

S H L L , verb, (thieves'). To 
BONNET (q.v.} ; to crush the hat 
over the eyes. 

SHOO ! intj. (old). Be off! Away ! 
As verb. to scare away. * Can- 
not say SHOOK to a goose' (RAY) 
= a retort on timidity or bashful- 
ness : see BOH. 

1611. FLORIO, Worldc of Wordes, 
s.v. Scioare, to cry SHOOE, SHOOE, as 
women do to their hens. 

1623. FLETCHER and ROWLEY, Maid 
in the Mill, v. i. SHOUGH, SHOUGH i up 
to your coop, pea-hen. 



Shook on. 



187 



Shoot. 



1883. Century Mag., xxxvii. 788. 
He gave her an ivory wand, and charged 
her, on her life, to tell him what she would 
do with it, and she sobbed out she would 
SHOO her mother's hens to roost with it. 

SHOOK ON. See SHAKE. 

SHOOL, verb. (old). To loaf; to 
go on the tramp ; to beg. 
Whence SHOOLING = idling ; 
SHOOLMAN = a loafer or vagabond. 
Fr. battre saflSme. 

1748. SMOLLETT, Roderick Random, 
xli. They went all hands to SHOOLING 
and begging. 

c.i 750. Humours of the Fleet [ ASH- 
TON, Eighteenth Cent. Waifs, 247]. Now 
mean, as once profuse, the stupid sot Sits 
by a Runner's side, and SHULES a Pot. 

1842. LOVER, Handy Andy, xxxiv. 
1 Oh, you always make out a good rayson 
for coming ; but we have nothing for you 
to-night.' ' Throth, you do me wrong," 
said the beggar, 'if you think I came 

SHOOLING.' 

SHOON, subs, (thieves'). A fool; 
a lout : see BUFFLE. 

SHOOT, subs, (colloquial). i. A 
shooting party. 

*573' SIR T. MORE, Cumfort against 
Tribulation, fol. 33. We shall now meat 
for ye SHOOT. 

1885. Field, 4 Ap. At a big SHOOT 
in Warwickshire. 

1887. NORRIS, Major and Minor, 
xxv. At the great SHOOTS ... he was 
wont to be present with a walking-stick in 
his hand. 

2. (builders'). A vacant piece 
of ground : where rubbish is got 
rid of. 

3. (American). A fancy. 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life. That 
gal was the prettyest creatur I ever took a 
SHUTE after. 

TO SHOOT A BISHOP, verb. 
phr. (venery). To have a WET- 
PREAM (q.V.) : also TO SHOOT. 



THE SHOOT, subs. phr. (Lon- 
don). The Wai worth-road sta- 
tion on the S. E. & C. Ry. [A 
large number of workpeople 
alight there.] 

PHRASES. SHOOT as a generic 
verb of action is found in fre- 
quent combination : as TO SHOOT 
(JERK or WHIP) THE CAT = (i) 
to vomit ; see CAT (GROSE), and 
(2) to sound a refrain in the 
infantry bugle call to defaulters' 
drill, which, it is fancied, follows 
the sound of the words 'SHOOT 

THE CAT SHOOT THE CAT' ; 
TO SHOOT THE CROW = tO run oft 

without paying, TO BILK (q.v.) ; 
TO SHOOT HORSES (see quot. 
1872) ; TO SHOOT ONE'S LINEN 
= to jerk and display the cuffs ; 
TO SHOOT ONE'S LINES = to de- 
claim with vigour ; TO SHOOT 
(BOLT or SHOVE) THE MOON = to 
remove furniture by night to pre- 
vent seizure for rent (GROSE) : 
see MOON ; TO SHOOT ONE'S 
BOLT = to exhaust one's credit or 
resources, to come to an end 
of things; TO GO THE WHOLE 
SHOOT = to risk all ; TO SHOOT 
OFF ONE'S MOUTH (or JAW) = to 
abuse ; TO SHOOT ONE'S ROE (or 
MILT) = to emit ; TO DO A SHOOT 

UP THE STRAIGHT = to pOSSCSS a 

woman ; TO B E SHOT = ( i ) to make 
a disadvantageous bet which is in- 
stantly accepted (turf), and (2) 
to be photographed (photo- 
graphers') : see SNAP-SHOT ; TO 
SHOOT ON THE posT=to make a 
close win at the finish ; TO SHOOT 

OVER THE PITCHER = to brag of 

one's shooting ; TO SHOOT ONE'S 
STAR = to die ; TO SHOOT THE 
SUN = to determine the longitude 
(nautical) ; TO SHOOT ONE'S 
GRANNY = to find a mare's nest; 
to be disappointed ; TO SHOOT 
THE MARKET (Stock Exchange) = 



Shoot. 



1 88 



Shootabout. 



* to make a man a close price in a 
stock without knowing if there 
would be a profit or loss on the 
bargain' (ATKIN, House Scraps] ; 
SHOOT THAT [HAT, MAN any- 
thing] ! = (i) a mild impre- 
cation, * Bother ! ' ; SHOOT THAT ! 
= an injunction to silence : e.g., 

SHOOT THE SHOP ; to SHOOT 

IN THE EYE = to do an ill turn ; 

TO BE SHOT IN THE NECK = tO 

be drunk ; TO SHOOT IN THE 
TAIL = (I) to copulate, and (2) to 
sodomise ; TO SHOOT TWIXT 

WIND AND WATER = to pox Or 

clap (B.E. and GROSE); and (2) 
to do the act of kind : also as 
subs. ; ' I'LL (or MAY I) BE SHOT 

IF ' = a mild imprecation or 

strenuous denial. See also SHOT. 

1695. CONGREVE, Love for Love, iii. 
15, 'A Soldier and a Sailor' [DURFEY, 
Pills (1707), i. 227]. And then he let fly at 
her, A SHOT 'TWIXT WIND AND WATER, 
Which won this fair Maid's Heart. 

1706. WARD, Wooden World, 45- 
1 The Surgeon.' His Captain, being dis- 
abled by some unlucky SHOT 'TWIXT 
WIND AND WATER, repairs to him for a 
Refitment. 

1826. BUXTON, Luke the Labourer ; 
iii. i. Bob. He, he, he ! I'LL BE SHOT IF 
Lunnun temptation be onything to this. 

1837. LYTTON, Ernest Maltravers, 
I., xv. 'Excuse ' again began Mai- 
travers, half interested, half annoyed. 
' I'LL BE SHOT IF I do. Come.' 

1853. DICKENS, Bleak House, vii. 
I'LL BE SHOT IF it ain't very curious. 

1855. Brooklyn Journal, 18 Ap. The 
prisoners . . . had shot Under-Sheriff 
Hegeman in the head . . . Mr. Schu- 
macher defended his client by observing 
that some of the attornies got as often 
SHOT IN THE NECK as the Under-Sheriff 
did in the bead. 

1867. BARTLETT, Americanisms, 
s.v. SHOT. A slang term of recent 
origin. To say, ' SHOOT THAT DRESS,' is 
meant to convey the idea that the dress is 
inferior ; that it is not worth much ; or, to 
use another slang expression, ' it is no 
great shakes ' after all. Ibid. [Quotation 
from Danbury News.] Mother. Stand 



still, Tommy, or I won't get your hair 
combed in time for school. Tommy 
(superciliously). Oh, SHOOT THE SCHOOL. 
Ibid., New York Herald. One lady 
. . . with derisive scorn . . . observed in 
the language of the day, ' Oh, SHOOT THAT 
HAT 1 ' 

1870. New Orleans Picayune, 17 
Mar. I found this man dead drunk in 
the gutter ... he offered to fight me. 
saying that he was not druqk, but only 

SHOT IN THE NECK. 

1872. Echo, 29 July, ' Railway 
Porters' Strike.' The prisoner urged the 
men to SHOOT THE HORSES in the vans 
. . . [i.e.] to take the horses out of the 
vans to prevent them from being unloaded. 
Prisoner was told if he had any grievances 
the SHOOTING OF THE HORSES was not the 
way to redress them. 

1876. BURTON, Songs [BARTLETT]. 
The slang the gang is using now, You'll 
hear from every lip ; It's SHOOT THB 
HAT ! and get it boiled ; And don't you 
lose your grip. 

1878. YATES [World, 16 Jan.] Ad- 
just your curls, youR LINEN SHOOT, 
your coat wide open fling. 

1886. Daily News, 8 Oct. The 
boy who won never did anything in later 
life. He had SHOT HIS BOLT. 

1887. FRANCIS, Saddle and Mo- 
cassin. If he could kill Indians SHOOT- 
ING OFF HIS MOUTH at them, he'd soon 
clean them out all there is. 

1887. Fun, 8 June. 246. A canny 
Scot was recently sentenced to ten days' 
hard for SHOOTING THE CROW i.e., order- 
ing half-a-quartern of whiskey, drinking 
it rapidly, and neglecting to pay. 

1896. CRANE, Maggie, xi. ^ Youse 
fellers er lookin' fer a scrap, an' it's like 
yeh'll fin' one if yeh keeps on SHOOTIN' 

OFF YER MOUT'S. 

1897. Pearson's Mag., Sep., 254. 
He thought he saw the means of getting 
square with the millionaire who had done 
him such an unscrupulous SHOT IN THE 

EYE. 

1899. WHITEING, John St., xxi. It 
it warn't ready, he give the shove to THE 
'OLE SHOOT. 

SHOOTABOUT, subs, (school : esp. 
Charterhouse). An irregular 
form of football. 



Shooter. 



189 



Shop. 



SHOOTER, subs, (colloquial). 
Generic. Thus (l) = a revolver: 
also, according to capacity, a 

FIVE, SIX, or SEVEN-SHOOTER ; 

(2) = the guard of a mail coach 
(old) : he was armed with a 
blunderbuss; (3) a shooting star; 
(4) a shooting-stick (printers'); 
a piece of hard word or metal 
used with a mallet for tightening 
quoins in a chase; (5) a ball 
(cricket) bowled full pitch but 
SHOOTING IN close to the ground ; 
and (6) = a black morning coat 
(Harrow) as distinguished from 
the tail coat worn by the Fifth 
and Sixth Forms. 
^.1633. G. HERBERT, Artillery. But 

I have also stars, and SHOOTERS too. 

1840. THACKERAY, Shabby Genteel 

Story. He had a word for the hostler 

about that grey mare, a nod for the 

SHOOTER or guard. 

1899. Scarlet City, 107. Miss Winks 
took the terrible SHOOTER with a trembling 
hand. ' You're sure it's not loaded ? ' she 
ejaculated. 

SHOOTER'S - HILL, subs. phr. 
(venery). The mons veneris : 
see VENUS. Hence, TO TAKE A 
TURN ON SHOOTER'S-HILL = to 
copulate : see GREENS and RIDE. 

SHOOTING-IRON, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). A gun or revolver. 

1847. PORTER, Quarter Race, 135. 
He said his old SHOOTING-IRON would go 
off at a good imitation of a bear's breath- 
ing ! 

1848. BURTON, Waggeries, 175. This 
antique SHOOTING - IRON had not been 
visible on board the boat. 

1871. DE VERB, Americanisms. . , . 
His rifle ... he loves with almost tender 
affection . . . and speaks of it as a 
SHOOTING-IRON. . . . The more recent 
revolver, now quite common in the West, 
is, on the other hand, his FIVE or six 
SHOOTER. 

1888. Harper's Mag., Ixxvi. 78. 
Timothy . . . drew his SHOOTING-IRON 
. . . cocking it with a metallic click. 

1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms, xxx. Hev' ye nary SHOOTIN' IRON ? 



1894. To-Day, 21 Ap., 351, i. Say, 
what's that for? you've emptied yure 
SHOOTING IRON into him ; what's he done ? 

1897. MITFORD, Romance Cape 
Frontier, n. v. We'll just get out our 
SHOOTING-IRONS and go and see. 

1902. KERNAHAN, Scoundrels and 
Co., xxiii. Keep your SHOOTING IRONS, 
Mr. Hall . . . I've got a brace of my own 
in my pocket. 

SHOOTING-STARS, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). Dizziness : as caused by 
a blow. 

SHOP, subs, and verb, (colloquial). 
I. Generic for a place : of 
residence, business, manufacture, 
engagement, or resort (in 
quot. 1590 = the body) ; and (2) 
one's profession, business or occu- 
pation. Spec, (old, and thieves') 
(3) a prison (B. E. and GROSE) : 
whence, as verb. = to imprison, to 
confine (B. E. and GROSE); 

4. (army) = a guardroom : 
also see quot. 1890 ; and 

5. (racing) a place : whence TO 

BE SHOPPED (or GET A SHOP) = 
to come in first, second, or third ; 
and (6) to kill, TO BURKE (q.v.). 
Whence, TO TALK SHOP = 
to talk business in society : 
Fr. parkr boutique ; TO SINK 
THE SHOP = to refrain from 

SHOP-TALK ; SHOPPY (or FULL OF 

THE SHOP) = wholly engrossed in 
business matters ; THE OTHER 
SHOP = a rival (trader, establish- 
ment, &c.). 

1548. PATTEN, Exped. to Scotl. 
[ARBBRCEag-. Garner, iii. 86)]. They had 
likewise SHOPPED UP themselves in the 
highest of their house. 

1563. FOXE, Acts and Monuments 
[CATTLEY] iv. 652 [OLIPHANT, New Eng. 
i. 541. Foxe wishes that More had kept 
himself in his own SHOP (profession) ; hence 

OUr ' TALK SHOP ']. 

1590. SPENSER, Fairy Queen, n. i. 
43. Then [he] gan softly feel Her feeble 
pulse ... he hoped faire To call backe 
life to her forsaken SHOP. 



Shop. 



190 



Shop. 



1610. SHAKESPEARE, Coriol., i. t, 137. 
I [the belly] am the storehouse and the 
SHOP Of the whole body. 

c.i6i7. HOWELL, Letters, i. iii. 30. 
The Liver . . . the SHOP and source of 
the Blood. 

1678. Fourjor a Penny [Harl. Misc. 
iv. 147]. A main part of his office [abum- 
bailin s] is to swear and bluster at their 
trembling prisoners, and cry, ' Confound 
us, why do we wait? Let us SHOP him ! ' 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. iii. 
Public and other houses were explored 
without loss of time ; and it was a poor 
SHOP indeed that did not produce some 
little amusement. 

1838. DICKENS, Oliver Twist, xvi. 
It was Bartlemy time when I was SHOPPED 
. . . Arter I was locked up for the night, 
the row and din outside made the thunder- 
ing old jail so silent, that I could almost 
have beat my brains out. 

.1840. A. CLOUGH, Long Vacation 
Pastoral. Three weeks hence we return 

tO THE SHOP. 

1847-8. THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, 
xxxiv. ' What is THE OTHER SHOP ? ' said 
the lady . . . ' Cambridge, not Oxford,' 
said the scholar. Ibid. (1855), Newcomes, 
xliv. Now, when will you two gents come 
up to my SHOP to 'ave a family dinner ? ' 

1855. BRADLEY, Verdant Green, i. 
viii. Give us a song ! It's the punishment 
for TALKING SHOP, you know. 

1855. GASKELL, North and South, 
ii. I don't like SHOPPY people. 

1860. Punch, xxxix. 177. He's staid 
and he's solemn, TALKS SHOP by the 
column. 

1861. TROLLOPE, Framley Parsonage 
If we ... have no voice of our own, I 
don't see what's the good of our going to 
THE SHOP [House of Commons] at all. 

1861. G. P. MARSH, Lect. on the 
Eng. Lang., xi. All men, except the 
veriest, narrowest pedants in their craft, 
avoid the language of the SHOP. 

/.i864. JOSIAH QUINCY, Figures of the 
Past, 193. He SUNK THE SHOP ; though 
this same SHOP would have been a subject 
most interesting. 

1868. WHYTE-MELVILLE, White Rose, 
n. yii. Actors and actresses seem the only 
artists who are never ashamed of TALKING 
SHOP. Ibid. (1869), M. or N. If you 
was took and SHOPPED ... I'd go to 
quod with you if they'd give me leave. 



1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms, xxiv. What sort of a SHOP is it? 
Are they getting much gold? Ibid., vi. 
We'll all be SHOPPED if you run against the 
police like this. 

1889. Rialto, 23 May. The latest 
term for the South African gold market is 

THE SHOP. 

1890. D. Chronicle, 4 Apr., 7, 2. 
THE SHOP is the name given in the Royal 
Artillery and the Royal Engineers to the 
Establishment which turns out the bulk of 
the officers of those two distinguished 
corps. 

1891. Lie. Viet. Gaz., 3 Apr. Then 
he went a raker on the favourite for the 
St. Leger, but the brute was not even 
SHOPPED. 

1892. Casselfs Saty. //., 28 Sep., 27, 
2. In the long summer months, when the 
actor is ' resting,' the artiste is frequently 
out of a SHOP, as be terms his engagement. 

1897. MiTFORD, Romance of Cape 
Frontier, \\. iii. And one heard such a 
lot of war SHOP talked. Ibid., \\. xxiii. 
What was this cowardly, egotistical, 
SHOPPY preacher to him? 

Verb, (workmen's). To work 
in a shop ; whence SHOPPED = ( i ) 
in work, also (2) discharged. 

1867. All Year Round, 13 July, 56. 
There are many men who would regard 
themselves as ingrates, were they not to 
celebrate their being SHOPPED, after having 
been out of collar, by a spree. 

PHRASES. To SHUT UP SHOP 
= (i) to come to an end, to retire ; 
(2) to cease talking : (cf. SHOP = 
body, SHUT UP, see quot. 1570) ; 
and (3) to finish, to ' do for ' ; TO 

COME (or GO) TO THE WRONG 

SHOP = to make a mistake; ALL 

OVER THE SHOP = confused ; 

awry. 

.1570. GASCOIGNE, Works [CHALMERS. 

S.57] " 

mouth] 



ii. 571]. Beautie SHUT UP THY SHOP [i.e. 
i]. 



1630-40. Court and Times Chas. I., n. 
21. If it go on thus, the Commissioners 
may SHUT UP SHOP. 

1657. MIDDLETON, Women Be^uare 
Women, ii. 2. I'll quite give o'er, and 
SHUT UP SHOP in cunning. 



Shopkeeper. 



191 Shoreditch-fury. 



1836. DICKENS, Sketches, 289. And 
what does he want? . . . money? meat? 
drink? He's COME TO THE WRONG SHOP 
for that, if he does. 

1884. Pall MallGaz., 29 Oct. Our 
mercantile marine would SHUT UP SHOP. 

1888. Sp. Life, 13 Dec. The left eye, 
which had till now gradually closed, SHUT 
UP SHOP altogether. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 63. 
Things seemed ALL OVER THE SHOP. 

SHOPKEEPER, subs, (traders'). An 
article long in stock : sometimes 

OLD SHOPKEEPER. 

SHOP-LIFT (-LIFTER, or -BOUNCER), 

subs. phr. (old).' One that steals 
under Pretence of Cheap'ning ' 
(B. E. : also HEAD, DYCHE, 
GROSE, andSNOWDEN) : cf. LIFT. 
Hence SHOP-LIFTING and simi- 
lar compounds. 

1678. Four for a Penny \_Harl. Misc. 
iv. 147]. He is the treasurer of the thieves' 
exchequer, the common fender of all 
balkers and SHOP-LIFTS in the town. 

1703. WARD, London Spy, v. 108. 
The Light finger' d subtlety of SHOP-LIFT- 
ING. 

1704. SWIFT, Tale of a Tub, Sect. 
vi. Like a discovered SHOP-LIFTER, left to 
the mercy of Exchange women. 

1748. DYCHE, Dictionary (?th Ed.) 
s.v. LIFTER. Also one that goes into 
mercers or drapers shops under pretence of 
buying goods, and so conveys some away 
privately, is called a SHOP-LIFTER. 

1759. STERNE, Tristram Shandy, i. 
xi. More honest, well-meaning people 
were bubbled out of their goods and money 
by it in one twelve-month than by pocket- 
picking and SHOP-LIFTING in seven. 

1839. AINSWORTH, Jack Sheppard, 
II. viii. Sally Wells, who was afterwards 
lagged for SHOPLIFTING. 

1855. THACKERAY, Newcomes, liii. 
There are children who are accomplished 
SHOP-LIFTERS and liars almost as soon as 
they can toddle and speak. 

SHOPOCRACY, subs, (colloquial). 
The world of shopkeepers : cf. 
MOBOCRACY, SHAMOCRACY, &C. 



1853. MRS. GASKELL, Ruth, xxxiii. 
The belles of the SHOPOCRACY of Eccle- 
ston. 

i8[?]. Notes and Queries [Ency. Diet.]. 
SHOPOCKACY . . . belongs to an objection- 
able class of words, the use of which is 
very common at the present day. 

SHOPPY, adj. and adv. (colloquial). 
I. Commercial ; (2) full of 
shops ; and (3) see SHOP. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., i. 
292. Thoroughfares which are well- 
frequented, but which . . . are not so 
SHOPPY as others. 

1855. GASKELL, North and South, 
xi. You were always accusing people of 
being SHOPPY. 

SHOP-SHIFT, subs. phr. (old). 
A tradesman's trick (JONSON : 
' There's a SHOP-SHIFT ! plague 
on 'em ! ') 

SHOP-'UN, subs. phr. (colloquial). 
A ' boxed ' or ' pickled ' egg : 
as distinguished from ' new-laid.' 

1878. BYRON, Our Boys, Perkin 
Middlewick. [Looking at eggs\ ... I 
knows "em ! SHOP-'UNS ! Sixteen a shilling 1 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 62. 
About colds, and cock-salmons and SHOP 
'UNS ; it's one of the rummiest sights. 

SHOREDITCH (THE DUKE OF). A 

mock title : see quots. 

3.1547. [ELLIS, Hist, of Shoreditch, 
170]. When Henry VIII. became king he 
gave a prize at Windsor to those who 
should excel in this exercise [archery], 
when Barlo, one of his guards, an inhabi- 
tant of Shoreditch, acquired such honour 
as an archer that the king created him 
Duke of Shoreditch on the spot. This . . . 
title continued so late as 1683. 

1603. Poore Man's Peticion to the 
Kinge. Good king, make not good Lord 
of Lincoln DUKE OF SHORDITCHE, for he 



SHOREDITCH-FURY, subs. phr. 
(obsolete). A harlot : see TART. 

1599. HALL, Satires, i. ix. 21. What 
if some SHOREDITCH FURY should incite 
some lust-stung lecher. 



Shores. 



192 



Short. 



SHORES, subs. (Stock Exchange). 
Lake Shore Ry. shares. 

SHORT, subs, (gaming). i. A card 
(all below the eight) prepared so 
that nothing above the eight can 
be cut : by which the chances of 
an honour turning up are reduced 
to two to one : cf. LONG and 
BRIEF. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingoldsby Legends 
(1862), 253. Ye youths, oh, beware, Of 
liquor, and how you run after the fair ! 
Shun playing at SHORTS. 

2. (common). In pi. knee 
breeches ; small clothes. 

1837. DICKENS, Pickwick, xxxiii. A 
little emphatic man with a bald head and 
drab SHORTS. 

1888. BESANT, Fifty Years Ago, 49. 
The little old gentleman . . . follows him 
in black SHORTS and white silk stockings. 

3. (Stock Exchange). A BEAR 
(q.v.) ; one who has 'sold short,' 
and whose interest is to depress 
the market. As adj. or adv. 
(i) not in hand when contracting 
to deliver ; or (2) unable to meet 
one's engagements : e.g., * SHORT 
of Eries, Brighton A's,' &c. 

1888. D. Telegraph, 13 Oct. The 
market continued to improve . . . coupled 
with SHORTS covering freely. 

1902. D. Mail, 17 Nov., 2, 5. Wheat 
opened steady . . . SHORTS covering, and 
light acceptances. 

4. (school). In //. = flannel 
trousers; CUTS (q.v.). 

Adj. (common). I. Unadul- 
terated ; NEAT (q.v.). As subs. 
= 'a dram [spec, of gin] un- 
lengthened by water ' (GROSE). 

1837. DICKENS, Pickwick Papers 
( r 857), 388. If you'll order waiter to deliver 
him anything SHORT, he won't drink it off 
at once, won't he ! only try him ! 

1841. REDE, Sixteen String Jack, i. 
2. Nelly, toddle to the bar, and be con- 
tinually drawing drops of SHORT. 



1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab, i. 
54. Saveloys, with a pint of beer or a 
glass of SHORT, is with them another com- 
mon week-day dinner. 

1858. M. Chronicle, 8 Nov. A young 
man offered her some coffee, but she said 
she would prefer something SHORT. 

1858. TROLLOPE, Dr. Thome, xvii. 
Come, Jack, let us have a drop of some'at 
SHORT. 

1883. D. Telegraph, 2 July, v. 3. 
All these are SHORT drinks that is to say, 
drams. 

1902. HEADON HILL, Caged, xvii. 
She wanted him to have a drop of some- 
thing SHORT, which he refused. 

3. (commercial). ' A term 
used by cashiers of banks, in ask- 
ing how a cheque is to be paid, 
'How will you take it ?' i.e., in 
gold or notes ? If in notes, ' Long 
or SHORT ? ' i.e. , in notes for small 
or large amounts (HOTTEN). 

4. (old). Hard up; 'SHORT 
of cash.' 

1603. DEKKER, Batchelars Banquet, 
iv. They ... if their father keepe them 
SHORT, will find some other friends that 
shall affoord it them. 

1605. CHAPMAN, &c. Eastward Ho, 
v. And I not able to relieve her, neither, 
being kept so SHORT by my husband. 

1608. DAY, Law Trickes, ii. And 
if your pursse grow SHORT, Rather then 
spend the publique treasurie, He lend 
your grace a brace of thousand pounds. 

1700. FARQUHAR, Constant Couple, 
ii. v. I am very SHORT ... at present. 

1857. BRADLEY, Verdant Green, n. 
v. I wrote to her and said, ' I'm. very 
SHORT ; please to send me two ponies ; ' 
meaning, of course, that I wanted fifty 
pound. 

PHRASES and COLLOQUIALISMS. 

TO COME SHORT HOME = to 

be imprisoned ; TO BITE OFF 
SHORT (tailors') = to dismiss 
abruptly, or refuse curtly ; TO 
CUT IT SHORT = to be as brief as 
may be ; SHORT AND SWEET = a 
jesting regret, or sarcastic com- 
ment : frequently with the addi- 



Short. 



193 



Short-one. 



tion, LIKE A DONKEY'S GALLOP ; 

THE SHORT AND LONG (or THE 
SHORT AND PLAIN) = (l) the 

whole truth : now usually THE 

LONG AND THE SHORT : also (2) 
a couple of persons, one of 
dwarf and one of giant stature 
walking together; SHORT AND 
THICK, LIKE A WELSHMAN'S 
PRICK = a person very short 
and broad in the beam ; SHORT 
OF PUFF = winded ; SHORT (or 
SHORT-WAISTED) = crusty, irri- 
table ; SHORT OF A SHEET = 
crazy; FOR SHORT = for brevity's 
sake ; ' A SHORT horse is soon 
curried ' = a simple matter is soon 
disposed of ; SHORT COMMONS = 
not too much to eat ; SHORT-LIM- 
BERED = touchy ; A SHORT 

SHRIFT AND A LONG ROPE = hl- 

stant despatch ; A SHORT MEMORY 
= forgetfulness. 

.... Int. ofFourElements\H.KL\.\- 
WELL]. Yf ye will nedys know at SHORT 
AND LONGE, It is evyn a woman's tounge. 

1383. CHAUCER, Cant, Tales [Ou- 
PHANT, New Eng, i. 123. We have, this 

is THE SHORT AND PLAIN (LONG AND SHORT 
Of it).] 

1577. STANIHURST, Desc. Ireland 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng. i. 599. A man is 
said to be in talk, SHORT AND SWEET], 

1592. SHAKSPEARE, Mid. Night's 
Dream, iv. 2. The SHORT AND THE LONG 
is, onr play is preferred. Ibid, (1506), 
Merry Wives, ii. i. He loves your wife ; 
there's THE SHORT AND THE LONG. Ibid. 
(1600), As You. Like It, iii. 5. I will be 
bitter with him and passing SHORT. 

1602. MIDDLETON, Blurt, Master 
Constable, i. 2. The rogue's made of pie- 
crust, he's so SHORT. 

1611. JONSON, Cataline, ii. i. How, 
pretty sullenness, So harsh and SHORT ! 

1611. Letter [NARES]. In which 
service two or three of them CAME SHORT 

HOME. 

0.1617. HOWELL, Letters, i. ii. 15. 
The French and English Ambassadors, 
interceding for a Peace, had a SHORT 
Answer of Philip II. 



1636. HEYWOOD, Love's Mistress, 63. 

The SHORT AND THE LONG of 't is, she's 

an ugly creature. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 219. Don Alphonso CUT HIM 
SHORT in his explanation. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingolds. Leg., 
' Brothers of Birch ington.' Father Dick, 
So they called him FOR SHORT. 

1870. Washington Watchman [Ds 
VERB]. My little gal's name is Helen, 
but we call her Heelen FOR SHORT. 

SHORT- EAR, subs. phr. (American 
University). A rowdy: see LAWS. 

SHORTER, subs. (old). One who 
dwindles the surface and the edges 
of coins by clipping, filing, shak- 
ing together in a bag, precipita- 
tion, or other means ; a SWEATER 
(q.V.). 

SHORT-HEAD, subs. phr. (racing). 
A horse that fails by a short head. 

1883. GREENWOOD, Odd People, 107. 
Fancy him having that horribly anathe- 
matized SHORT HEAD all his own, to revile 
it, and punch it ... all the while with a 
firm grip on the cruel twitch attached to its 
nose. 

SHORTHEELS, subs. (old). A wan- 
ton : see TART. Hence, SHORT- 
HEELED = unchaste (GROSE). 

1596. CHAPMAN, Blind Beggar 
[SHEPHEARD, Works (1874) 15]. Well, 
madam SHORT-HEELS, I'll be even with 
you. Ibid, (1611), May-day, iv. 4. Take 
heed you slip not, coz, remember y'are 

SHORT-HEELED. 

SHORT-LENGTH, subs. phr. (Scots'). 
A small glass of brandy; a 
'wee three.' 

1864. Glasgow Citizen, 19 Nov. Is 
not the exhilarating SHORT-LENGTH of 
brandy known beyond our own Queen 
Street ? 

SHORT-ONE, subs. phr. (old coach- 
ing : obsolete). A passenger 
whose name was not on the way- 
bill ; a SHOULDERSTICK (q.V.) ', 
a BIT OF FISH (q.V.). 



Short-pot. 



194 



Shot. 



SHORT-POT, subs. phr. (B. E. 
^.1696). 'False, cheating Potts 
used at Ale-houses, and Brandy- 
shops.' 

SHORT-STAFF. See GENTLEMAN. 

SHORT-STICK, subs.phr. (drapers'). 
See quot. 

1863. Once a Week, viii. 179. All 
goods again that are sold in the piece run 
short : SHORT-STICK in fact is a slang term 
for insufficient lengths. 

SHOT, subs, (old : still colloquial). 
i. A reckoning; a share of 
expense (B. E. and GROSE). 
Hence (2) = money (generic) : as 
SHOT IN THE LOCKER = money 
in hand, or at will. Also SHOT- 
BAG = a purse ; SHOT - FREE 
= nothing to pay : also SCOT- 
FREE ; SHOT-CLOG = a simpleton, 
tolerated because he is willing to 
pay reckonings ; SHOT-FLAGON = 
' the hosts' pot, given where the 
guests have drank above a shil- 
ling's-worth of ale' (HALLI- 
\VELL): whence SHOT-POT = one 
entitled to the SHOT- FLAGON ; 
SHOT-SHIP = a company sharing 
and sharing alike ; SHOT-SHARK 
=a waiter. 

1591. GREENE, Notable Discovery 
[ Works, x. 47]. There he bestowed cheare 
and ipocras vpon them, drinking hard til 
the SHOT came to a noble. 

1595. SHAKSPEARE, Two Gentlemen, 
iii. 5. I'll to the alehouse with you pre- 
sently ; where for one SHOT of five pence, 
thou sbalt have five thousand welcomes. 

1598. FLORID, Worlde of Wordes, 
s.v. Pagare lo scotto, to paie the SHOT or 
reckoning. 

1596. JONSON, Ev. Man in His Hu- 
mour, v. 4. Where be then these SHOT- 
SHARKS ? Ibid. (1601), Poetaster, i. i. A 
gull, a rook, a SHOT-CLOG, to make suppers 
and be laughed at. 

1604. DEKKER, Honest Whore 
[Works (1873), ii. 51]. A brace of guiles, 
dwelling here in the city, came in, and 
paid all the SHOT, 



1605. CHAPMAN, JONSON, &c., East- 
ward Hoe, i. i. Thou common SHOT- 
CLOG, dupe of all companies. 

Amende for Ladies, 51. 

Drawer, take your plate. For the reckon- 
ing there's some of their cloaks : I will be 
no SHOT-CLOG to such. 

1630. T. ADAMS, Fatal Banket [The 

Title of the fourth part runs ] ' The 

SHOT, or the wofull price which the wicked 
pay for the Feast of Vanitie. 1 

1715. CENTLIVRE, Gotham Election, 
iv. We give the treat, but they shall pay 
the SHOT. 

1800. C. LAMB, Letter [to Coleridge, 
6 Aug.]. I have the first volume, and 
truth to tell, six shillings is a broad SHOT. 

1821. SCOTT, Keniliuprth, xix. Are 
you to stand SHOT to all this good liquor. 

1836. M. SCOTT, Tom Cringle's Log, 
ii. I have wherewithal in the locker to pay 
my SHOT. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingoldsby Legends 
(1862), 74. He bolted away without pay- 
ing his SHOT, And the Landlady after him 
hurried. 

1847-8. THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, 
xxvi. My wife shall travel like a lady. 
As long as there's a SHOT IN THE LOCKER 
she shall want for nothing. 

1848. DURIVAGE, Stray Subjects, 57. 
Depositing the ' tin ' in his SHOT-BAG. 

1851. SEAWORTHY, Bertie, 42. I'll 
al'ays do the fair thing, and stan' SHOT till 
we git to Edentown. 

1863. GASKELL, Sylvia's Lovers, 
xxxiv. Bring him some victual, landlord. 
I'll stand SHOT. 

1880. SIMS, Three Brass Balls, 
Pledge xv. It shall never want a friend 
while I've a SHOT IN THE LOCKER. 

3. (old). A corpse. 

4. (colloquial). A guess ; also 
(5) = an attempt, a venture. 

1844. KINGLAKE, Eothen, viii. 137. 
I secretly smiled at this last prophecy as 
a bad SHOT. 

1854. WHYTE - MELVILLE, General 
Bounce, xiii. But here we are at Tatter- 
sail's ; ... so now for good information, 
long odds, a safe man, and a SHOT at the 
favourite ! 



Shot. 



195 



Shoulder. 



1857. BRADLEY, Verdant Green, n. 
xi. Without hazarding his success by 
making bad SHOTS, he contented himself 
by answering those questions only on 
which he felt sure. 

1861. HUGHES, Tom Brown at 
Oxford. Yes, you would have said 
so ... if you had seen him trying to 
put Jack up behind. He made six SHOTS. 

1879. L. B. MILFORD, Cousins, i. It 
turned out to be a bad SHOT. 

1891. N. GOULD, Double Event, 104. 
'Won't you take a SHOT about Caloola, 
Mr. Marston?' 

1900. FLYNT, Tramps, 281. They 
had just returned from the hop-country, 
and their money was well poised for 
another SHOT at the growler. 

Adv. (common). Drunk : see 
SCREWED. Also SHOT IN THE 
NECK: see SHOOT. 

Verb (horse-copers'). To fake 
a horse : a dose of small shot gives 
a temporary appearance of sound- 
windedness. 

To PAY THE SHOT, verb. phr. 
(venery). To copulate : see 
GREENS and RIDE. Also see 
subs. i. 

.1630. Broadside Ballad, ' The Jovial 
Companions' [Bagford Ball. (Brit. Mus.) 
i. 88.] He laid her on her Back, and 
PAID her THE SHOT Without ever a stiver 
of mony. 

1635. Broadside Ballad, 'The In- 
dustrious Smith' \_Rox. Ball. (Brit. Mus.), 
i. 159]. Old debts must be paid, O why 
should they not, The fellow went home to 

PAY THE old SHOT. 

Intj. (Royal High School, 
Edin.). A cry of warning at the 
approach of a master. 

PHRASES. LIKE A SHOT = 
quickly, at full drive ; SHOT IN THE 
NECK = drunk : see SCREWED ; 

SHOT IN THE TAIL (or GIBLETS) 

= got with child ; NOT BY A 
LONG SHOT = hopelessly out of 
reckoning : whence A LONG SHOT 
= a bold attempt or large under- 
taking. Also see SHOOT. 



1853. WH. -MELVILLE, DigbyGrand, 
x. An extremely abrupt conclusion . . . 
empties every bumper of blackstrap LIKE 
A SHOT. 

1886-96. MARSHALL, ' Pomes' [1897], 
27. So Zippy went in for A LONG SHOT. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 21. 
Put us all square LIKE A SHOT. 

1897. MITFORD, Romance of Cape 
Frontier, i. i. Back I went LIKE A SHOT. 

SHOT-CLOG. See SHOT, subs. i. 

SHOT-SOUP, subs. phr. (nautical). 
Bad pea-soup. 

SHOTTEN- HERRING, subs. phr. 
(old). A term of contempt : spec. 
a lean meagre fellow (GROSE). 
Hence, SHOTTEN-SOULED = de- 
spicable. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, /. Hen. IV. ii. 
4. 142. If manhood, good manhood, be 
not forgot upon the face of the earth, then 

am I A SHOTTEN HERRING. 

1614. FLETCHER, Wit without Money, 
iii. 4. Upbraid me with your benefits, 
you pilchers, You SHOTTEN-SOUL'D, slight 

fellc s. 

1639. Optick Glasse of Humours, 27. 
His conceit is as lanck as a SHOTTEN 

HERRING. 

1640. NABBES, Bride, sig. G ii. Thou 
art a SHOTTEN HERRING. Jackalent Span- 
yard. 

SHOULDER, verb, (old coaching). 
See quot. Hence SHOULDER- 
STICK a passenger not on the 
way-bill : see SHORT-ONE and cf. 
SWALLOW. 

1828. JON. BEE, Picture of London, 
33. SHOULDERING, among coachmen and 
guards, is that species of cheating their 
employers in which they take the fares and 
pocket them, generally of such passengers 
as they overtake on the road, or who come 
across the country to the main road, and 
are not put down in the way-bill. 

1886. Atheneeum, 16 Jan., 99, i. 
Some amusing anecdotes of what was 
known as SHOULDERING are here related. 
This generation requires to be informed 
that the expression meant in coaching days 
allowing more than the number the coach 
authorized to carry was to ride in or upon 



Shoulder- clapper. 196 



Shout. 



it. Of course such a permission meant 
extra fees and payment to the coachman 
and guard, and was a direct fraud on the 
proprietors. 

1888. TRISTRAM [Eng. III. Mag., 
June, 623]. SHOULDERING in the tongue 
of coachmen and guards meant taking a 
fare not on the way-bill, and unknown to 
the proprietor. 

A SLIP OF THE SHOULDER, 

subs. phr. (old). Seduction. 
See COLD SHOULDER, WHEEL. 

SHOULDER -CLAPPER, subs. phr. 
(old). A bailiff ; 'a member of 
the hold-fast club' (B. E. and 
GROSE) ; SHOULDER-CLAPPED = 
arrested. 

1593. SHAKSPEARE, Cow. of Errors, 
iv. 2. A back -friend, a SHOULDER-CLAPPER, 
one that countermandes The passages of 
alleys, creeks, and narrow lands. 

1604. DEKKER and WEBSTER, West- 
ward Hoe, v. 3. What a profane varlet 
is this SHOULDER-CLAPPER to lie thus upon 
my wife. 

1611. CHAPMAN, May-day, iv. 2. 
These . . . pewter-buttoned SHOULDER- 
CLAPPERS. 

1839. AINSWORTH, /. Sheppard 

(1840), 22. ' The SHOULDER-CLAPPERS ! ' 

added a lady, who . . . substituted her 
husband's nether habiliments for her own 
petticoats. 

1886. SALA '[///. L. News, 19 June, 
644]. I do know that a sheriffs officer 
used to be called a SHOULDER-CLAPPER. 

SHOULDER-FEAST, subs. phr. (old). 
A dinner given to bearers after 
a funeral (GROSE). 

SHOULDER - HITTER, subs. phr. 

(American). A bully ; a rowdy : 
spec, a gambling tout. 

1858. New York Tribune, 30 Sep. 
A band of SHOULDER-HITTERS and ballet- 
box stuffers. 

1871. DE VERB, Americanisms, 319. 
In the West a striker is not only a SHOUL- 
DER-HITTER, as might be suspected, but a 
runner for gambling establishments, who 
must be as ready to strike down a com- 
plaining victim as to ensnare an unsuspect- 
ing stranger. 



1874. ~N. Y. Commercial Advertiser, 
9 Sept. So long as substantial citizens 
choose to leave politics to SHOULDER HIT- 
TERS, rum-sellers and bummers of every 
degree, so long will they be robbed at 
every turn. 

1886. SALA [///. L. News, 19 June, 
644]. A certain variety of the New York 
rough is a SHOULDER-HITTER. 

SHOULDER- KNOT, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). A footman. 

SHOULDER-OF-MUTTON FIST, subs, 
phr. (common). A coarse, big, 
broad hand : in contempt. 

1876. HINDLEY, Cheap Jaca, 17. 
Sold again, and to a gentleman with a 
SHOULDER-OF-MUTTON FIST, that has never 
been washed since he had it. 

SHOULDER-PEGGED, adj. (common). 
Stiff-limbed. 

SHOULDER-SHAM, subs. phr. (B.E. 
c.i6g6). ' A Partner to a File.' 

SHOUT, subs, (formerly Australian : 
now general). A turn in paying 
for a round of drinks. Hence as 
verb. = to stand treat ; SHOUT- 
ING = a general invitation to 
drink ; TO SHOUT ONESELF 
HOARSE = to get drunk. See 
CHARTER THE BAR. 

1859. KINGSLEY, Geoffrey Hamlyn, 
xxxi. I SHOUTED for him, and he for me, 
and at last I says, 'Butty,' says I, 'who 
are those chaps round here on the lay ? ' 

1873. BRADDON, Bitter End, xxxix. 
When the lucky digger was wont to 
SHOUT that is to say, pay the shot for 
the refreshment of his comrades. 

1881. GRANT, Bush Life, i. 243. He 
must drink a nobbier with Tom, and be 
prepared to SHOUT for all hands at least 
once a day. 

1889. Star, 3 Jan. Good-natured, 
hearty Welsh diggers thronged in, and 
were willing to SHOUT for us as long as we 
would drink. 

1900. NISBET, Sheep's Clothing, 196. 
They SHOUTED drinks for all who were 
present. 



Shouting. 



197 Shove-halfpenny. 



SHOUTING. ALL OVER BUT SHOUT- 
ING, phr. (common). Said of 
anything obviously finished. 

1891. Lie. Viet. Gaz., 20 Mar. At 
Barnes it was estimated that he had a lead 
of 150 yards, and at this point, reached in 
19 min. 50 sec., it looked ALL OVER BUT 
SHOUTING. 

SHOVE, verb, (venery). To copu- 
late : see GREENS and RIDE ; as 
subs. the act of kind. Also (of 
women) TO GET A SHOVE IN 
ONE'S BLIND- (or THE BULL'S-) 
EYE. SHOVE - STRAIGHT (or 
SHOVE-DEVIL) = the penis: see 
PRICK. 

i6[?]. Old Ballad, 'King Edward 
and Jane Shore' [DuRFEY, Pills (1707) 
iii. 20], Joan could make them groan 
that ardently did love her, But Jane 
Shore . . . King Edward he did SHOVE 
her. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, i. xi. 
His governesses . . . would very pleasantly 
pass their time in taking you know what 
between their fingers . . . One . . . would 
call it her roger . . . lusty live sausage, 

SHOVE-DEVtL, &C. 

1707. WARD, Hud. Rediv. a. ii. 21. 
If Holy Sister, wanting Grace, By Chance 
supplies a Harlot's Place, And takes a 
kind refreshing SHOVE Upon the Bed of 
lawless Love. 

PHRASES. To SHOVE FOR (or 
TO BE ON THE SHOVE) = to move, 
to try for ; TO SHOVE THE MOON 
= to remove secretly, by night : 
see MOON ; TO SHOVE THE TUM- 
BLER = ' to be whipped at the 
cart's tail 3 (B. E. and GROSE) ; A 
SHOVE IN THE MOUTH = a dram 
(GROSE) ; TO SHOVE THE QUEER 
= to pass bad money ; A SHOVE 
IN THE EYE = a punch in the eye : 
generic ; TO GIVE THE SHOVE = 
to send packing ; TO GET THE 
SHOVE = to be dismissed : see 
BAG. 

1708. HALL, Memoirs, 15. Those 
cast for Petit-larceny SHOVE THE TUM- 
BLER. 



_x82i. EG AN, Life in London, n. iii. 
I vish'd to be a little curl to Dirty 
Suke, ... so I gov'd her a SHOVE IN THE 

MOUTH. 

1830. LYTTON, Paul Clifford (1854), 
9. ' Tom Zobyson is a good-for-naught," 
returned the dame, and deserves TO SHOVE 
THE TUMBLER ; but, ohj my child be not 
too venturesome in taking up the sticks 
for a blowen. 

1884. CLEMENS, Huck.'Finn., xxxviii. 
So Jim he was sorry, and said he wouldn't 
behave so no more, and then me and Tom 
SHOVED FOR bed. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 50- 
There is always some fun afoot there, as 
will keep a chap fair ON THE SHOVE. 

1899. WHITEING, JphnSt., iv. Mind 
your own bloomin' business, or I'll give 
yer a SHOVE IN THE EYE. Ibid. x. Did 
you get THE SHOVE to-day ? Ibid. xxi. If 
it warn't ready, he GIVE THE SHOVE to the 
'ole shoot. 

SHOVE-HALFPENNY (also SHOVE- 
[or SHOVEL-] BOARD, SHOVE- 
GROAT, SLIDE-GROAT, SLIDE- 
THRIFT, or PUSH-PENNY), subs. 
phr.K gambling game, played 
on a table on which transverse 
lines have been drawn rather more 
than the width of a halfpenny 
apart. The play consists in send- 
ing a halfpenny by a smart stroke 
of the palm from the end of the 
table so as to make it rest in 
the compartments formed by the 
lines. [Ed. VI. shillings, as being 
smooth and easily pushed, were 
much in vogue as counters.] 

1528. STANIHURST, Chron. of Ire- 
land. When the lieutenant and he for 
their desporte were plaieing at SLIDEGROTE 

Or SHOOFLEBOARD. 

1596. JONSON, Ev. Man in His Hu- 
mour, iii. 2. Made it run as smooth off the 
tongue as a SHOVE-GROAT shilling. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, 2 Hen. IV., ii. 
4, 206. Quoit him down, Bardolph, like a 
SHOVE-GROAT shilling. 

1630. TAYLOR, Travels of Twelve- 
pence [NARES]. With me [a shilling of Ed. 
VI.] the unthrifts every day, With my face 
downward, do at SHOVE-BOARD play. 



Shovel. 



198 



Show. 



1801. STRUTT, Sports and Pastimes, 
16. The game of SHOVELBOARD, though 
now considered as exceedingly vulgar, and 
practised by the lower classes of the people, 
was formerly in great repute amongst the 
nobility and gentry ; and few of their man- 
sions were without a SHOVEL-BOARD. 

1841. Punch, i. 232. The favourite 
game of SHOVE-HALFPENNY was kept up 
till a late hour, when the party broke up 
highly delighted. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab., i. 
14. SHOVE-HALFPENNY is another game 
played by them [costermongerK]. 

SHOVEL, subs, (common). A hat, 
broad-brimmed, turned up at the 
sides, and scooped in front, as 
worn by deans and bishops of the 
Established Church: also SHOVEL- 
HAT. Whence SHOVEL-HATTED. 

1833-4. CARLYLE, Sartor Resartus, 
iii. 6. Whereas the English Jonson only 
bowed to every clergyman, or man with a 
SHOVEL-HAT, I would bow to any man 
with any sort of hat, or with no hat what- 
ever. 

1845. THACKEKAY, Cornhill to 
Cairo, ii. The mitred bishops, the big- 
wigged marshals, the SHOVEL-HATTED 
abbes which they have borne. Ibid. (1855), 
Newcomes, xxvi. She was a good woman 
of business, and managed the hat-shop for 
nine years . . . My uncle, the Bishop, had 
his SHOVELS there. 

1849. BRONTE, Shirley, xvi. Loom- 
ing large in full canonicals, walking as 
became a beneficed priest, under the canopy 

of a SHOVEL HAT. 

1853. LYTTON, My Novel, xi. 2. 
The profession of this gentleman's com- 
panion was unmistakeable the SHOVEL- 
HAT, the clerical cut of the coat, the neck- 
cloth, without collar. 

1857. HUGHES, Tom Brown's School- 
days, i. 2. A queer old hat, something 
like a doctor of divinity's SHOVEL. 

1864. ALFORD, Queen's English, 228. 
I once heard a venerable dignitary pointed 
out by a railway porter as ' an old party in 
a SHOVEL.' 

1871. Parodies, Ixxxi. 297. Now 
about the same time the people of England 
were at loggerheads with the SHOVEL- 
HATTED gentry that infest the upper house 
of St. Stephen's. 

2. (common). A hansom-cab: 
see SHOFUL. 



3. (nautical). An ignorant 
marine engineer. 

18 [?]. Engineer [Century]. In the 
early days after the Crimea war, the 
engineers in the Navy were a rough lot. 
They were good men but without much 
education. They were technically known 
as SHOVELS. 

PHRASES. PUT TO BED WITH 
A SHOVEL (or SPADE) = buried 
(GROSE) ; ' He was fed with a 
SHOVEL (or FIRE-SHOVEL) = a 
jeer at a large mouth ' (GROSE) ; 
'That's before you bought your 
SHOVEL '=' You are too previous,' 
' That's up against you,' ' That 
settles your hash.' 

1859. MATSELL, Vocabulum, ' Hun- 
dren Stretches,' 3. WITH SHOVELS they 
were PUT TO BED A hundred stretches 
since. 

SHOVER, suds, (thieves'). One who 
utters base money ; a SMASHER 
(<7.z>.) ; a SOUR-PLANTER (q.v.) : 

also SHOVER OF THE QUEER. 

1871. Figaro, 20 Feb. He estab- 
lished a saloon in New York which became 
the headquarters of all the counterfeiters 
and SHOVERS OF THE QUEER in the 
country. 

SHOVE-UP, phr. (old). * Nothing' 
VAUX (1812). 

SHOW, subs, (colloquial). i. An 
entertainment; a spectacle (as the 
LORD MAYOR'S SHOW) ; (2) one's 
business : cf. SHOP ; and (3) a 
piece of work. Also SHOW-BOX 
(theatrical) = a theatre. 

1530. TYNDALE, Works [OLIPHANT, 
New Eng., i. 427. He loves SHEW as a 
synonym for appearance and spectacle}. 

1588-93. TARLETON, 7*^(1844), 71. 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng., ii. 12. The noun 
SHEW . . . means a pageant. 

1592. SHAKSPEARE, Mids. Night's 
Dream. The actors are at hand and by 
their SHOW You shall know all that you are 
like to know. 

1613. DRAYTON, Poly-Olbion, xv. By 
this, the wedding ends, and brake up all 
the SHOW. 



Show. 



199 



Show. 



1811. MOORE, Tom Crib, 27. One 
of Georgy's bright ogles was put On the 
bankruptcy list, with its shop-windows 
shut ; While the other soon made quite as 
tag-rag a SHOW. 

_i886. BESANT, Children of Gibeon, 

I. vi. We ain't a SHOW. Lotty ain't a 
clown ; I ain't a jumping-horse. 

1888. HAGGARD, Mr. Meeson's Will 
[Til. Lon, News, Summer No., 28, 3]. Mr. 
John Short . . . asked him the same ques- 
tion, explaining that their presence was 
necessary to the SHOW. 

1891. NEWMAN, Scamping Tricks, 
65. I would have stopped the SHOW. 

1892. KIPLING, Barrack Room Bal- 
lads, 'The Widow's Party.' What was 
the end of all the SHOW, Johnnie, Johnnie ? 

1899. WHITEING, John St., xx. 
When the SHOW was shut, I ... sits down 
to my toke and pipe. 

1900. Free Lance, 6 Oct., 20, 2. 
There goes Amy Lester . . . Just closed 
with ' The Face in the Lamplight.' That's 
the third SHOW she's queered this season. 

4. (colloquial). A chance ; a 
turn ; an opportunity. 

c - J 537-50- Robin Conscience [ H AZLITT , 
Early Pop. Poetry, iii. 239]. Bvt and I 
Hue another yeer, I will haue a better 
SHOWE ; I will not goe thvs slvttishly, I 
trowe. 

1886. BESANT, Children of Gibeon, 

II. xiv. Many young men are ardently 
desirous of distinction or even notoriety ; 
they will stoop to tomfool tricks if they 
cannot get a SHOW by any other way. 

1887. Our American Cousins, 267. 
Do you think there's any any any SHOW 
for me ? 

1893. EMERSON, Lippo, xii. If I 
could only have got his SHOW three turns 
nightly at fifteen pounds a turn ! 

1896. LILLARD, Poker Stories, 147. 
They told the management to trot out his 
wicker demijohn and give the sagebrushers 
a SHOW. 

1901. Troddles and Us, n. You 
stick yourself down in the only decent 
chair . . . you don't give a fellow a SHOW. 

3. (women's : conventional). 
The first signs of periodicity or 
parturition. 



PHRASES AND COLLOQUIALISMS. 

TO SHOW AWAY (or OFF) = to 

give oneself airs : hence SHOWING 
OFF = making the most of oneself ; 
TO SHOW A LEG (nautical) = (i) to 
turn out ; and (2) see LEG ; TO 
SHOW UP = (i) to make an appear- 
ance (also TO SHOW ONESELF), 
and (2) to expose : also as subs. 
in both senses ; TO SHOW THE 
DOOR (or THE OUTSIDE OF THE 
DOOR) = to dismiss without cere- 
mony ; TO BOSS THE SHOW = to 

manage ; TO SHOW ONE LONDON 
= (school) to hold one by the 
heels upside down ; TO SEE LON- 
DON = to hang by the heels : as 
from a rail, trapeze ; TO GIVE 

THE SHOW A WAY = to blab J &C. 

Also see AGILITY ; COLD SHOUL- 
DER ; ELEPHANT ; HEELS; LEG ; 
TEETH ; WATER ; WHITE 
FEATHER. 

1554. TYTLER, Ed. VI. [OLIPHANT 
New Eng. i. 538. Charles V. SHOWS 
HIMSELF at a feast]. 

. . . . T. HALL, Genuine Letters, n. 
45. Never give yourself airs : never 
press TO SHEW AWAY as they call it. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil. Bias. [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 12. I boarded her [a kitchen- 
maid] with so little circumspection that 
Don Rodrigo . . . twitted me with my 
low taste ; and . . . SHOWED the goddess 
of my devotions THE OUTSIDE OF THE 
DOOR. 

1811. HAWKINS, Countess and Ger- 
trude [OLIPHANT, New Eng. ii. 204. 
Certain phrases are marked to show that 
they are new ; as ... SHEW HIMSELF (at 
a party).] 

1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 26. ... 
Could old Nap himself, in his glory, have 
wish'd To SHOW UP a fat Gemman more 
handsomely DISH'D ? 

1830. JON. BEE, Samuel Foote, Ixxix. 
How far he was justified in SHOWING UP 
his friend Macklin may admit of question. 

1848. THACKERAY, Snobs, xi. In- 
stead of SHOWING UP the parsons, are we 
indulging in maudlin praises of that mon- 
strous black-coated race. 



Shower. 



200 



Shrimp. 



1870. HUXLEY, Lay Sermons, 30. It 
would be unprofitable to spend more 
time ... in SHEWING UP the knots in the 
ravelled skeins of our neighbours. 

1883. BLACK, Yolande, i. Don't you 
think it prudent of me to SHOW UP as often 
as I can in the House ... so that my 
good friends in Slagpool mayn't begin 
to grumble about my being away so 
frequently ? 

1886. Times, 29 Mar. Certain persons 
in high stations of life would be SHOWN UP. 

1891. STEVENSON, Kidnapped, 287. 
Both got upon their knees to her ; and the 
upshot of the matter was that she SHOWED 
both of them THE DOOR. 

1899. WHITEING, John St., vi. She 
wants yer TO SHOW UP at a sort o' bun 
struggle in 'er room. 

1899. DELANNOV, IQ,OOO, xxx. I 
didn't want to GIVE THE SHOW AWAY. 

1900. SAVAGE, Brought to Bay, i. 
I'm all right, if I SHOW UP at eleven. 
Ibid., Looks as if he could SHOW UP well 
in . . . Le Sport. 

SHOWER, subs, (colloquial ) . A 
shower-bath. 

1889. Answers, 9 Feb. After lunch 
comes the heavy work of the day. The 
crew assemble at the boathouse, and after 
going through exercise in a pair-oared boat, 
they carry out the eight. Returning to 
dinner after the refreshing ' SHOWER,' they 
have a good, plain repast. 

SHOWING. A FRONT SHOWING, 
subs.phr. (military). Parade at 
short notice : i.e. without time to 
properly prepare accoutrements 
and kit. 

SHOWMAN, subs, (theatrical). See 
quot. 

1885. G. DOLBY, Dickens as I knew 
Him, 125. The SHOWMEN, as the mana- 
gers of the theatres and caterers for public 
amusements are popularly termed. 

SHOW - SUNDAY, subs. phr. 
(various). Among the common- 
alty = Easter Sunday, when if you 
don't wear something new, ' the 
rooks will shit on you ' ; at Oxford, 
the Sunday in Commemoration 
Week (a kind of University Parade 



took place in the Broad Walk of 
Christ's, but the invasion of Town 
has stopped it) ; amongst artists, 
&c. , the Sunday before sending-in 
day, when the studios are open to 
visitors and friends. 

SHREDS (or SHREDS and PATCH- 
ES), subs, (old). A tailor : see 
SNIP (B. E. and GROSE). 

SHRIEKING (or WHINING) SISTER- 
HOOD, subs. phr. (journalistic). 
The world of women reformers : 
hence, busybodies. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 208. Yesterday Ambrose stum- 
bled upon one of our WHINING SISTER- 
HOOD. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 20. 
This yere SHRIEKING SISTERHOOD lay 
ain't "arf bad. 

SHRIMP, subs. (old). i. A 
drawf ; a pigmy : in contempt 
(GROSE). 

1383. CHAUCER, Monk's Tale, Prol., 
67. We borel men been SHRYMPES ; of 
fielde trees ther comen wrecched ympes. 

1582. STANYHURST, ALneis [ARBER], 
89. A windbeaten hard SHRIMP, With 
lanck wan visadge, with rags iags pat- 
cherye clowted. 

1623. SHAKSPEARE, i Henry VI., 
II. 3, 23. It cannot be, this weake and 
writhled SHRIMPE Should strike such terror 
to his enemies. 

1772. GARRICK, Irish Widow, i. i- 
Whit. Why, your wife is five feet ten ! 
Kec. Without her shoes. I hate your 
little SHRIMPS. 

1786. BURNS, Jolly Beggars. Despise 
that SHRIMP, that wither'd imp. 

1840. BARHAM, Ingolds. Leg. (Aunt 
Fanny). And all for a SHRIMP not as high 
as my hat A little contemptible shaver 
like that 1 ! 

1888. Referee, n Nov. Other nippers 
little SHRIMPS of boys. 

2. (old). A prostitute : see 
TART. 

1638. WHITING, A Ibino andBellama, 
52. Vat tough me vil not lye vit pimpes, 
And pend me's coyne on light-teale 
SHRIMPES. 



Shrubbery. 



20 1 



Shut. 



SHRUBBERY, subs, (venery). The 
pubic hair : see BUSH. 

SHUCK, subs. (American). The 
lowest standard of value ; spec, 
the paper currency of the Con- 
federate States. [At the close of 
the Civil War these notes became 
as valueless as pca-SHUCKs]. 
Hence, LESS THAN SHUCK = less 
than nothing ; TO CARE (or BE 
WORTH) NOT A SHUCK = to care 
(or be worth) little ; SHUCKLESS 
= worthless ; SHUCKS ! = Non- 
sense : a contemptuous denial or 
refusal. 

Verb. (American). To un- 
dress ; TO PEEL (g.v.). 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life [BART- 
LETT]. If them thar is all he's got to offer, 
he ain't worth SHUCKS ; and, if you don't 
lick him you ain't worth SHUCKS either. 

1847. DARLEY, Drama in Pokerville, 
68. Mr. Bagly was there with five more 
barrels [revolver] to do the same for any 
gentleman who might say ' SHUCKS ! ' 

1848. JONES, Sketches of Travel, 117. 
I SHUCKED out of my old clothes, and got 
into my new ones. 

1850. LONGSTREET, Southern Sket- 
ches, 31. He'd get mad as all wrath . . . 
and the first thing you know'd, he'd SHUCK 
OFF his coat to fight. 

^.1852. Traits of Amer. Humour, 56. 
Arch he hopped down oflfn his ole boss, an' 
commenced SHUCKIN' hisself fur er fight. 

1856. Major Jones's Courtship, 48. 
One great, big, yellow cow, what wasn't 
worth SHUCKS to trail. 

1888. Detroit Free Press, B Dec. 
Did you ever see a family which amounted 
to SHUCKS which didn't keep a dog? Ibid., 
29 Dec. Might hev bin the biggest lawyer 
or doctor or preacher in these Yunited 
Staits if he hadn't bin so slashin' SHUCK- 
LESS. 

SHUFFLE, verb. (GROSE). i. 'To 
make use of false pretences or 
unfair shifts.' SHUFFLING-FEL- 
LOW (B. E. and GROSE) = ' A 
slippery, shiteing Fellow.' 



2. (Winchester). To pretend ; 
to feign : as TO SHUFFLE sleep. 
Hence SHUFFLER. 

SHUM, subs. (American Circus). 
In//. = money : see RHINO. 

SHUNTER, subs. (Stock Exchange). 
See quot. 

1871. ATKIN, House Scraps, . . . 
SHUNTER . . . one who buys or sells 
stocks on the chance of undoing his busi- 
ness, on one of the provincial Stock Ex- 
changes, at a profit. 

SHURK, subs. (old). A sharper 
(B. E.). 

SHUT. To SHUT UP, verb. phr. 
(old : now vulgar). To hold 
one's tongue ; to compel silence ; 
TO DRY UP (q.V.}. Also SHUT 

YOUR NECK (MOUTH, HEAD, or 
FACE ; SHUT-UP ! or SHUT IT !) : 
Fr. ferme ta boite. Hence, TO BE 
SHUT UP = to be silenced, ex- 
hausted, or done for. 

1563. FOXE, Acts and Monuments 
[CATTLEV], viii. 216. I have SHUT UP 
your lips with your own book. 

.1570. GASCOIGNE, Poems [CHAL- 
MERS, Eng. Poets, ii. 571]. Beautie SHUT 
UP THY SHOP [mouth]. 

1605. SHAKSPEARE, Lear, v. 3, 155. 
SHUT YOUR MOUTH, dame, Or with this 
paper shall I stop it ? 

1614. JONSON, Bartholomnv Fair, 
v. 3. Hold thy peace, thy scurrility, SHUT 

UP THY MOUTH. 

1856. STOWE, Dred., i. 312. This is 
the Lord's ground here ; so SHUT UP your 
swearing, and don't fight. 

1857. DICKENS, Little Dorrit, i. 13. 
It SHUTS THEM UP ! They haven't a word 
to answer. 

1858. MURSELL, Lecture on Slang: 
When a man speaks, he spouts ; when he 
holds his peace, he SHUTS UP. 

1865. Fun, 29 July, ' English Unde- 
nted.' I sigh, " Carina ! how I suffer ; Be 
thou my Juliet ! Be my queen ! " She only 
says, " SHUT UP, you duffer ! " 



Shut. 



202 



Shuttle-head. 



1877. JOWETT, Plato, in. 6. A mere 
child in argument, and unable to foresee 
that the next "move" (to use a Plutonic 
expression) will SHUT HIM UP. 

1886-96. MARSHALL, Pomes [1897], 
54. Oh, SHUT IT ! Close your mouth until 
I tell you when. 

1888. RUNCIMAN, Chequers, 80. 
SHET YOUR NECK. 

1892. KIPLING, Barrack Room Bal- 
lads, 'The Young British Soldier.' You 
SHUT UP your rag-box, an' 'ark to my lay. 

1895. POCOCK, Rules of the Game, i. 
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH," he said, " or I'll 
knife you 1 

1896. CRANE, Maggie, ix. ' SHET 
YER FACE, an* come home yeh old fool ! ' 
roared Jimmie. 

1807. MAUGHAM, Liza of Lambeth, 
V. SHUT IT ! she answered, cruelly. Ibid., 
xi. "SHUT UP!" said Jim. ... "I 
shan't SHUT UP." 

1901. Troddles and Us, 75. Murray's 
pleasantry struck us as being untimely, 
and we told him to SHUT UP. 

2. verb, (racing). See quot. 

KRIK, Guide to the Turf, To 

SHUT UP ... to give up, as one horse 
when challenged by another in a race. 

To BE SHUT OF, verb. phr. 
(once literary : now vulgar). To 
be rid of, freed from, quit of. As 
subs. ( HALLI WELL) = a riddance. 

1596. NASHE, Haue with You, To 
the Reader. And doo what I can, I shall 
not be SHUT OF him. 

1639. MASSINGER, Unnatural Com- 
bat, iii. i. We are SHUT OF HIM, He will 
be seen no more here. 

1639. SHIRLEY, Maid's Revenge, ii. 
2. We'll bring him out of doors Would 
we were SHUT OF HIM. 

^.1704. L'ESTRANGE [BARTLETT]. We 
must not pray in one breath to find a thief, 
and in the next to get SHUT OF him. 

1847. Chronicles of Pineville, 34. 
Never mind, doctor, we'll GET SHUT OF 
him. 

1848. MRS. GASKELL, Mary Barton, 
v. And as for a bad man, one's glad 
enough to GET SHUT ON him. 



1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms, ii. Father was one of those people 
that GETS SHUT OF a deal of trouble in this 
world by always sticking to one thing. 

1891. STEVENSON, Kidnapped, 96. 
What we want is to be SHUT OF him. 

1896. KIPLING, The Big Drunk 
Draf. I never knew how I liked the gray 
garron till I was SHUT OF him an' Asia. 

SHUTS, subs. (Christ's Hospital). 
A hoax, a SELL (q.v.). As intj. 
= f Sold again ! ' 

SHUTTERS. To PUT UP THE 

SHUTTERS, verb. phr. (pugilists'). 
i. To 'bung up' an oppo- 
nent's eyes. 

2. (common). To announce 
oneself a bankrupt ; to stop pay- 
ment. 

SHUTTER- RACKET, stibs. phr. (old). 
' The practice of robbing houses 
or shops, by boring a hole in the 
window shutters and taking out a 
pane of glass ' (GROSE and VAUX). 

SHUTTLE- BAG. To SWALLOW THE 
SHUTTLE-B4.G, verb. phr. (pro- 
vincial). To get husky. 

SHUTTLE-HEAD (-BRAIN, or -WIT), 

subs. phr. (old). An eccentric ; 
a scattering. Whence SHUTTLE- 
HEADED, &c. = flighty, scatter- 
brained ; SHUTTLENESS = rash- 
ness, thoughtlessness. Also SHIT- 

TLE-HEAD, &C. 

c.i 440. Paston Letters, I. 69. I am 
aferd that Jon of Sparham is ... 

SCHYTTL-WYTTED. 

1564. UDALL, Erasmus, 341. Me- 
tellus was so SHUTTLE-BRAINED that even 
in the middes of his tribuneship he left his 
office in Rome. 

1580. BARET, Atvearze[H.ALi.i\VEi.i.]. 
The vain SHITTLENESSE of an unconstant 
head. 

1590. GREENE, Quip for Upstart 
Courtier [Harl. Misc., v. 417]. Upstart 
boies, and SHITTLE-WITTED fools. 



Shy. 



203 



Shy. 



i. NASH. Torn Nash his Ghost 
[Old Book Coll. Misc.]. I would wish 
these SHUTTLE-HEADS that desire to take 
in the embers of rebellion, to give over 
blowing the coals too much. 

1625-49. MS. Poem [HALLIWELL : 
temp. Chas. I.]. Nor can you deem them 

SHUTTLE-HEADED fellows Who for the 

Lord are so exceeding zealous. 

1639-61. Rump Songs (1662), i. 7. Is 
it not strange that in their SHUTTLE-HEAD 
three Kingdoms ruines should be buried ? 

^.1894. STEVENSON, Olalla. I won- 
dered what had called forth in a lad so 
SHUTTLE-WITTED this enduring sense of 
duty. 

SHY, subs, (colloquial). Generic 
for a piece of action : as a throw, 
a chance, an attempt, a jibe. As 
verb. to do, to make, to throw, 
and all other verbs of action 
(GROSE and BEE). 

1824. EGAN, Boxiana, iv. 149. I 
like to have a SHY for my money. 

1827. SCOTT, Diary, 26 Mar. I can- 
not keep up with the world without SHYING 
a letter now and then. 

1849-50. THACKERAY, Pendennis, 
Ixxv. I went with my last ten florin and 
had a SHY at the roulette. Ibid. (1854-5), 
Newcomes, xvi. There you go, Polly, 
you're always having a SHY at Lady 
Anne . . . ' A SHY ! how can you use such 
vulgar words.' 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life [BART- 
LETT]. Just to make matters lively, I ... 
SHIED a few soft things at her. 

1857. READE, Never Too Late, xv. 
He ... SHI ED the pieces of glass carefully 
over the wall. 

1859. LEVER, Davenport Dunn, xx. 
Though the world does take liberties with 
the good-tempered fellows, it SHIES them 
many a stray favour. 

1863-4. CHAMBERS, Book of Days, i. 
238. Where the cock belonged to some 
one disposed to make it a matter of 
business, twopence was paid for three 
SHIES at it, the missile used being a broom- 
stick. 

1885. D. Telegraph, 17 Sep. With 
a grievous ' clod ' in his hand TO SHY at it. 

1888. BLACK, Far Lochaber, vi. He 
has an abject fear of cats . . . and if he 
can SHY a stone at one when it doesn't see 
him, that is delight. 



1889. NORRIS, Miss Shafto, viii. An 
honest man has a much better chance on 
the turf than he has in the City . . . I've 
had a SHY at both. 

Adj., adv. and verb, (collo- 
quial). i. Missing, hard to find : 
whence SHYCOCK = 'one who 
keeps within doors for fear of 
bailiffs' (GROSE). Hence (2) = 
' coy, squeamish, cold, or averse' 
(B. E. and GROSE). Cf. verb. 
Also (3) of dubious repute or 
character. As verb, (in quot. 
1796 = a wary man) ; TO FIGHT 
SHY of = to keep out of the way, 
to abstain. 

1796. REYNOLDS, Fortune's Fool, v. 
The members rose, lock'd the door, and 
call'd me a SHYCOCK. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 311. We have all our weak 
side . . . does he wench? . . . Do not 
FIGHT SHY I beseech you. Ibid (1771), 
Humph. Clinker (1900), 78. The doctor 
being a SHY COCK would not be caught 
with chaff. 

1821. HAGGART, Life, 30. Although 
I had not been idle during these three 
months, I found my blunt getting SHY. 

1825. JONES, True Bottom'd Boxer 
[Univ. Songst. ii. 96]. You SHY-COCKS, 
he shows 'em no favour, 'od rot 'em all. 

1826. Old Song; _ 'Bobby and His 
Mary ' [ Univ. Songst. iii. 108]. The blunt 
ran SHY, and Bobby brush'd, To get more 
rag not fearing. 

1840. BARHAM, Ingolds. Legends 
(Old Woman Clothed in Grey). That 
all who espied her, Immediately SHIED 
her, And strove to get out of her way. 

% 1841. _ LEVER, Charles O'Malley, 
Ixxix. His friends SHY him. 

1849. THACKERAY, Pendennis, xxv. 
Mr. Wagg . . . said, ' Rather a SHY 
place for a sucking county member, ay, 
Pynsent? 1 Ibid. (1860),' Philip, xix. The 
dinner, I own, is SHY unless I come and 
dine with my friends ; and then I make up 
for banyan days. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab. iii. 
136. They bring 'em out, when business 
is SHY, for a draw, which they always find 
them answer. 



Shyster. 



204 



Sick. 



1854. WHYTE MELVILLE, General 
Bounce, xiii. If ' Sennacherib ' breaks 
down, and Blanche Kettering fights 
SHY, . . . have I not still got something 
to fall back upon ? 

1860. DICKENS, Uncommercial 
Traveller, x. 60. Nothing in SHY neigh- 
bourhoods perplexes my mind more than 
the bad company birds keep. 

1864. H. J. BYRON, Paid in Pull, v. 
Hadn't SHY turf-transactions been more 
than hinted at. 

1865. Glasgow Herald, 23 Sept. The 
guests SHY all European topics. 

1870. D. Telegraph, 7 Feb. The 
reader who wades through the rather 
hopeful jungle of the title-page, will 
certainly SHY at Mr. Beste's preface. 

SHYSTER, subs. (American). i. 
See quot. 1859. 2. (common) = 
a swindler, duffer, or vagabond : 
a generic term (1903) of con- 
tempt. 
1857. New York Tribune, 13 Mar. 

The SHYSTERS or Tombs lawyers . . . 

sought to intercede for their clients ; but 

the magistrates would listen to no appeals. 

1859. BARTLETT, Americanism 
(1896), 590, s.v. SHYSTER, a set of men 
who hang about the police courts of New 
York and other large cities, and practise in 
them as lawyers, but who in many cases 
have never been admitted to the bar. They 
are men who have served as policemen, 
turnkeys, sheriffs officers, or in any ca- 
pacity by which they have become familiar 
with criminals and criminal courts. 

1864. D. Telegraph, 26 July. SHY- 
STER who goes to bed in his boots. 

1871. DE VERE, Americanisms, . . . 
This is the SHYSTER . . . Ill-reputed men 
[who] offer their services to the new-comer, 
compel him to pay a fee in advance, and 
then do nothing. On the contrary, they 
fight SHY of him, and hence they have 
obtained their name. 

1877. MARK, Green Past,, xli. They 
held aloof from ordinary society looked 
on a prominent civic official as a mere 
SHYSTER and would have nothing to do 
with a system of local government con- 
trolled by 30,000 bummers, loafers, and 
dead-beats. 

1882. McCABE, New York, xxv. 417- 
8. If the prisoner has no money, the 
SHYSTER will take his pay out in any kind 
of personal property that can be pawned or 
sold. 



1902. BOOTHBY, Uncle Joe's Legacy, 
98. The SHYSTER lawyer, the bigamist 
Henry Druford, and last but not least . . . 
the company promoter. 

SICE, subs. (Old Cant). Sixpence : 
see RHINO (B. E. and GROSE). 

1672. Covent Garden Drollery, 
' Greenwich Strowlers.' The prizes they 
took, were a Londoner's groat, A Gentle- 
man's SICE, but his skipkennel's pot. 

1688. SHADWELL, Squire of Alsatia. 
[In list of cant words.] 

^.1704. BROWN, Works, ii. 266. Some 
pretty nymphs . . . but are sometimes 
forced to tick half a SICE a-piece for their 
watering. 

1707. WARD, Hud. Rediv., n. iii. 27. 
For who'd not readily advance A SICE to 
see the Devil dance. 

1840. LYTTON, Paul Clifford, iii. As 
Mrs. Lobkins expressed it, two bobs for 
the Latin, and a SICE for the vartue ! 

SICK, adj. (colloquial). In its 
primary, extended, and old lite- 
rary sense (as in the Bible and 
Shakspeare), SICK ( = disabled by 
disease or bad health) now 
borders on the colloquial, having 
been superseded by "ill," whilst 
SICK is confined to vomiting or 
nausea. There are also excep- 
tional usages. Thus SICK ( = 
muddy) WINE ; SICK ( = stale) 
FISH ; A SICK HAND (at cards, 
esp. whist = without trumps) ; A 
SICK ( = pale) LOOK ; A SICK ( = 
ruffled) TEMPER, &c. Also, * IT 
MAKES ME SICK (or GIVES ME 

THE SICK) ' = * I am disgusted 
with it ' ; SICK AS A HORSE (DOG, 
RAT, CAT, CUSHION, or what not) 
= sick as may be (GROSE) ; SICK 

OF THE IDLES (THE LOMBARD 
FEVER, or THE IDLE CRICK AND 
THE BELLY WORK IN THE HEEL, 

RAY) = ' a pretence to be idle 
upon no apparent cause ' ; TO 

SPEAK IN THE SICK TUNE = to 

affect sickness ; SICKLY (adv.) = 
untoward or disgusting ; SICKREL 



Sickener. 



205 



Side. 



(B. E.) = a puny, sickly Crea- 
ture.' Also (American) = lacking, 
in need of: as paint-siCK, nail- 

SICK : Cf. HOME-SICK, MOTHER- 
SICK, SLEEP-SICK, &c. Likewise 
(venery) SITTING UP WITH A 
SICK FRIEND = an excuse for 
marital absence all night. 

1600. SHAKSPEARE, Muck Ado, Hi. 
4, 44. Why, how now? Do you speak in 
the SICK TUNE? 

1626. SYLVESTER, Du Bartas, i. 7. 
Such a SLEEP-SICK Elf. 

1693. CONGREVE, Old Batchelor, ii. 
3. I swear you'd MAKE ONE SICK to hear 
you. 

1708-10. SWIFT, Petite C0nv.,i. Poor 
MisSj she's SICK AS A CUSHION, she wants 
nothing but stuffing. 

1759. STERNE, Tristram Shandy, 
VH. ii. I am SICK AS A HORSE, quoth I, 
already. 

1870. MEDBERY, Men and Mysteries 
of Wall St. [BARTLETT]. When brokers 
hesitate to buy there is said to be a SICK 

MARKET. 

1888. D. News, 4 Dec. When the 
barrel came to his place from Burton it 
was in a very dull condition, and was what 
was known as SICK. 

1889. RIALTO, 23 Mar. Even Kaffirs 
raised their SICKLY heads. 

1867. Harper's Weekly, xxxiv. 554. 
My boats kinder giv' out. She ain't nothin' 
mor'n NAIL-SICK, though. 

1893. E. S. SHEPPARD, Counterparts, 
Intro. The Shelley [a boat], she lays down 

at it, SICK OF PAINT. 

1895. POCOCK, Rules of the Game, \. 
I've quit reading lest I should find myself 
in print. MAKES ME SICK. 

1897. MAUGHAM, 'Liza of Lambeth, 

1. It GIVES ME THE SICK. 

1900. KIPLING, Stalky and Co., 25. 
Keep your eye on King, and, if he gives 
us a chance, appeal to the Head. That 
always MAKES 'EM SICK. 

1902. HEADON HILL, Caged, xxxiv. 
You MAKE ME SICK with your silly fears. 

SICKENER, subs, (common). Too 
much (even of a good thing) ; a 
cause of disgust. Cf. BELLYFUL. 



1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 1 80. Enough to have given a 
SICKENER to the inveterate stomachs of a 
regiment. 

1 8 1 8. EG AN, Boxiana, \. 267. Ward's 
friends were now in high spirits, and the 
betting went forwards, as it was thought 
that Dan had received rather a SICKENER. 

1827. PEAKE, Comfortable Lodgings, 
i. 2. I took a favourable opportunity to 
insult him : this morning I gave him a 
sic KENER. 

1884. RUSSELL, Jack's Courtship, 
xxxii. But sometimes you will get a 
dreary SICKENER betwixt the Channel and 
the parallel where the steady breeze is 
picked up. 

1889. STEVENSON, Master ofBallan- 
trae, ii. It was plain this lucky shot had 
given them a SICKENER of their trade. 

SIDE, subs, (common). SWAGGER 

(q.v.); conceit: thus, TO PUT ON 

SIDE = to 'give oneself airs' : Fr. 

se hancher. 

1878. HATTON, Cruel London, vm. 

ii. Cool, downy cove, who PUTS SIDE ON. 

1880. PAYN, Confid. Agent, xi. The 
captain sauntered up the mews, with a 
good deal of SIDE ON, which became a 
positive swagger as he emerged into the 
more fashionable street. 

1880. HAWLEY SMART, Social Sin- 
ners, xiii. He has proved a most apt 
pupil in the acquisition of what, in the 
slang of the day, is denominated SIDE, 
which, translated into dictionary language, 
meaneth the conceit of the young. 

1886-96. MARSHALL, Pomes [1897], 
10. I'd no notion he be coming it with 
such a lot of SIDE. 

1895. IOTA, Comedy in Spasms, i. 
Rugby boy, lately back from a seven years 
residence in England, the possessor of 
unimpaired health, abounding SIDE, but 
limited sentiment. 

1901. Sp. Times, 27 April, i, 4. Her 
belief that she moves in a ' classy ' set, 
And the SIDE ... all are due to being 
badly bred. 

Intj. (North Country). Yes ! 

See BLANKET ; BEST SIDE ; 
BLIND SIDE; JACK; MOUTH; 
PULL ; RIGHT SIDE ; SEAMY ; 
SET; SHADY; SHINNY; SPLIT; 
WRONG SIDE. 



Sideboard. 



206 



Sight. 



SIDEBOARD, subs, (obsolete). i. 
A shirt-collar of the ' stand-up ' 
order. Also (2) in //. = whis- 
kers, SIDE-WINGS, GILLS (q.V.\ 

SIDE-POCKET, subs. phr. (Ameri- 
can). An out-of-the-way drink- 
ing saloon. 

WANTED AS MUCH AS A DOG 
(or A TOAD) WANTS A SIDE- 
POCKET, phr. (old). * A simile 
used for one who desires anything 
by no means necessary' (GROSE). 
See also WIFE. 

SIDE-SIM, subs. phr. (old). A 
fool : see BUFFLE. 

1612. Passenger of Benevenuto 
[NARES], Reach me that platter there, 
you SIDE SIMME. This fellow the higher 
hee is in stature the more foole he grows. 

SIDE-SLIP, subs. phr. (common). 
bastard ; a BYE-BLOW (q.v.) 

1872. ELIOT, Middlemarch, xl. The 
old man . . . left it to this SIDE-SLIP of a 
son that he kept in the dark. 

SIDE-SPLITTER, subs. phr. (collo- 
quial). A funny story. Hence, 
SIDE-SPLITTING = 'screamingly' 
funny. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 36. 
SIDE SPLITTERS, spice, and the like. 

SIDETRACK, verb. (American). To 
SHUNT (q.v.') ', to avoid ; to place 
on one side ; to discontinue. 

1889. Det. Free Press, 12 Jan. Then 
he said to Beverly, who had been SIDE- 
TRACKED : ' Now I'll be Tucker for a 
while, and you can be Tucker's brother.' 

1892. GUNTER, Miss Dividends, vi. 
Call me Buck 1 SIDE-TRACK the 'Mr. 
Powers ' ! 

SIDE-WINDER, subs. phr. (pugi- 
listic). A heavy blow with the 
fist : also SIDEWIPE. 

1850. Southern Skttek*s[HAXttJttT\. 

Arch would fetch him a SIDE-WIPE on the 
head, and knock him into the middle of 
next week. 



SIDLEDYWRY,^'. (old). Crooked 
(GROSE). 

SIDNEY-BIRD. See SYDNEY SIDER. 

SIEGE, subs, (old colloquial). I. 
Excrement ; faecal matter ; (2) a 
jakes ; and (3) defecation : as 
verb. =to stool (B. E., 1696). 

1548. BARCLAY, Eclogues [CUNNING- 
HAM]. For sure the lord's SIEGE and the 
rural man's Is of like savour. 

1603. JONSON, Sejanus, i. 2. I do 
not ask you of their urines, Whose smell's 
most violet, or whose SIEGE is best, Or 
who makes hardest faces on her stool. 

1609. SHAKSPEARE, Tempest, ii. 2. 
How cam'st thou to be in the SIEGE of this 
mooncalf? Can he vent Trinculos. 

1646. BROWNE, Vulgar Errors. It 
accompanieth the unconvertible part in the 

SIEGE. 

SIEVE, subs. (old). A loose-spoken 
person; a BLAB (q.v.) : cf. 'As 
well pour water into a SIEVE as 
tell him' (RAY). 
d.rjoi. DRYDEN, Mock Astrologer, i. 

i. Why then, as you are a waiting-woman, 

as you are the SIEVE of all your lady's 

secrets, tell it me. 

SIFT, verb, (thieves'). To embezzle 
small coins : such as might pass 
through a sieve. 

SIFTER, subs. (American). A drink 
composed of whiskey, honey, 
strawberry-syrup, lemon, and ice. 

SIGHT, subs. (colloquial). i. 
Generic for magnitude (that is, 
something worth looking at) : 
thus a SIGHT of people = a 
multitude ; a SIGHT of work = 
untiring industry or ' enough and 
to spare ' ; a SIGHT of money = 
a large amount (BEE). Hence, 
OUT OF SIGHT = unrivalled, be- 
yond comparison ; A SMART 
(PRETTY, PRECIOUS, POWERFUL, 
&c.) SIGHT = a great deal; A 
SIGHT FOR SORE EYES = some- 
thing to please : also in sarcasm. 



Sight. 



207 



Sight. 



1393. GOWER, Conf. A mantis (PAVI.I, 
I. 121). A wonder SIGHT of flowers. 

1440-50. Plumpton Papers [OLI- 
HANT, New Eng., i. 268. There are the 
nouns karving knyves ; a SIGHT (number) 
OF PEOPLE . . .]. 

dr. 14 [?]. [MARSH, Eng: Lang., i. viii. 
Juliana Berners, lady prioress of the 
nunnery of Sopwell in the fifteenth cen- 
tury, informs us that in her time 'a 
bomynable SYGHT of monkes ' was elegant 
English for a large company of friars], 

1534. TYNDALE, Bible, Heb. xii. 22. 
Ye are come vnto the Mounte Sion . . . 
and to an innumerable SIGHT of angels. 

1540. PALSGRAVE, Acolastus. Where 
is so great a strength of money, Where 
is so huge a SYGHT of mony. 

1848. CARLETON, New Purchase, n. 
74. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I'd a powerful 



consent to that 

1857. HUGHES, Tom Brown's School- 
days, n. vii. It's a precious SIGHT harder 
than I thought. 

1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, 
iii. This 'ere Dartmoor is a BLESSED 
SIGHT better than Chatham, I can tell 
you. 

1888. Owosso (Mich.) Press, April. 
Doctor, I'm a dead man ! . . . NOT BY A 

BLANKETY BLANK BLANK SIGHT. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 14. 
That beats any sermon a SIGHT. 



SIGHT sooner go nto retracy . . . nor 
t bill. 



MARSH, Crime and Criminal, 
xxiii. He was A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES 



1899. 

xiii. He 
... I like to see a man that is a man. 



2. (colloquial). An oppor- 
tunity ; a chance ; a SHOW (q.v.). 
To GET WITHIN SIGHT = to near 
the end. 

3. (colloquial). An oddity; a 
scarecrow : also contemptuously, 
' Her new jacket was a perfect 
SIGHT,' or ' You've made yourself 
a regular SIGHT ' = 'Not fit to be 
seen.' 

1694. PENN, Rise . . . of Quakers, 
ii. It was not very easy to our primitive 
friends to make themselves SIGHTS and 
spectacles, and the scorn and derision of 
the world. 



4. (American). As far as can 
be seen at one time, as the reach 
of a river, or a bend in a road : 
thus, in directing a person, ' Go 
three SIGHTS on, and take,' &c. 

Also A LOOK. 

5. (common). A gesture of de- 
rision : the thumb on the nose-tip 
and the fingers spread fan-wise : 
also QUEEN ANNE'S FAN. A 
DOUBLE SIGHT is made by joining 
the tip of the little finger (already 
in position) to the thumb of the 
other hand, the fingers being 
similarly extended. Emphasis is 
given by moving the fingers of 
both hands as if playing a piano. 
Similar actions are TAKING A 

GRINDER (q.V.) or WORKING THE 
COFFEE-MILL (ff.V.); PULLING 
BACON (q.V.)', MAKING A NOSE 

(or LONG NOSE) ; COCKING 

SNOOKS, &C. 

1702. Eng. Theophrastus, ' Frontis- 
piece.' [Truth stripping a fine lady of her 
false decorations, with one hand removes a 
painted mask, and with the other pulls 
away her "borrowed" hair and head- 
dress, showing an ugly face, and a head as 
round and smooth as a bullet. Below 
there are four little satyrs, one of whom is 
taking a single SIGHT, or making " a nose " 
at the lady ; whilst a second is taking a 
DOUBLE SIGHT, or " long nose," towards 
the spectator. N. &Q-, 5 S. , iii. 298. ] 

1712. Spectator, 354. The 'prentice 
speaks his disrespect by an extended 
finger, and the porter by stealing out his 
tongue. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingoldsby Legends, 
' Nell Cook.' He put his thumb unto his 
nose and spread his fingers out. 

1840. DICKENS, Old Curiosity Shop, 
xxxviii. Even Mr. Chuckster would some- 
times condescend to give him a slight nod, 
or to honour him with that peculiar form 
of recognition which is called TAKING A 
.IGHT. 

1871. Morning Advertiser, n Sept. 
The fame of mighty Nelson shall not with 
his compare, Who . . . thrusts his tongue 
into his cheek, and TAKES A SIGHT at 
Death. 

O 



Sign. 



208 



Silk. 



1875. Notes and Queries, 5 S., iii. 
2g8. TAKING A SIGHT. Pictorial illus- 
trations of this gesture prior to the time of 
the Georges, are, I believe, not very 
common. 

1886. Household Words, 2 Oct. 453. 
[This] peculiar action has, I believe, 
almost invariably been described as 
TAKING A SIGHT. A solicitor, however, 
in a recent police case at Manchester, 
described it as pulling bacon. 

To PUT OUT OF SIGHT, verb, 
phr. (common). To eat; to con- 
sume. 

SIGN. Here may be arranged two 
or three obsolete colloquialisms 

SIGN OF A HOUSE TO LET = a 
widow's weeds (GROSE) ; the SIGN 
OF THE FEATHERS = a woman's 
best good graces ; at THE SIGN 
OF THE HORN = in cuckoldom ; 

the SIGN OF THE PRANCER = the 

Nag's Head; the SIGN OF THE 
THREE BALLS = a pawnbroker's ; 

SIGN OF THE FIVE (TEN Or 

FIFTEEN) SHILLINGS = The 
Crown (The Two Crowns, or The 
Three Crowns). GROSE (1785) ; 

TO LIVE AT THE SIGN OF THE 

CATS' FOOT = to be hen-pecked. 

1567. HARMAN, Caveat (1869), 85. 
A bene mort hereby at THE SIGN OF THE 
PRAUNCER. 

SIGNBOARD, subs, (common). 
The face : see DIAL. 

SIGN -MANUAL, subs. phr. (old). 
The mark of a blow. 

1822. SCOTT, Fortunes of Nigel, 
xxiii. I bear some marks of the parson 
about me ... The man of God bears my 
SIGN-MANUAL too, but the Duke made us 
friends again. 

SIKES. See BILL SIKES. 
SIL. See SILVER-BEGGAR. 

SILENCE, verb, (old: now recog- 
nised). To knock down ; to 
stun ; to kill (GROSE). Whence 
SILENCER a knock-down or 
stunning blow. 



SILENCE IN THE COURT, THE 
CAT is PISSING, /Ar. (old). 'A 
gird upon anyone requiring silence 
unnecessarily ' (GROSE). 

SILENT-BEARD, subs. phr. (venery). 
The female pubic hair : see 
FLEECE. 



,. BROWN, Works, ii. 202. It is 
not fit the SILENT BEARD should know how 
much it has been abus'd . . . for, if it did, 
it would . . . make it open its sluice to 
the drowning of the low countries in an 
inundation of salt-water. 

SILENT-FLUTE. See FLUTE. 

SILK, subs, (common). i. A King's 
Counsel ; also SILK-GOWN. [The 
canonical K.C.'s robe is of silk ; 
that of a Junior Counsel of stuff. ] 
Hence TO TAKE SILK = to attain 
the rank of King's (or Queen's) 
Counsel. 2. (clerical) = a bishop : 
the apron is of silk. 

1838. JERROLD, Men of Character 
(John Applejohn), viii. The finest lawn 
[bishop] makes common cause with any 
linen bands the SILKEN APRON shrinks 
not from poor prunella. 

1853. DICKENS, Bleak House, i. Mr. 
Blowers, the eminent SILK-GOWN. 

1872. Standard, 16 Aug., Second 
Leader. Mr. J. P. Benjamin (an Ameri- 
can gentleman) has, in the professional 
phrase, RECEIVED SILK ; in other words 
has been raised to the rank of Queen's 
Counsel at the English Bar. 

i88p. Pall Mall Gaz., 6 Nov., 6, i. 
Some time ago the presence of a learned 
SILK was required in court at eleven o'clock. 

1890. Globe, 6 May, 6, i. Mr. Reid's 
rise has been steady and sure. Called at 
the age of twenty-five, he TOOK SILK only 
eleven years later, and is now a Bencher 
of his Inn at the age of forty-four. 

To CARRY (or SPORT) SILK, 
verb. phr. (racing). To run (or 
RIDE) in a race. 

1884. HAWLEY SMART, Post to 
Finish, 219. One thing he was clear 
about that there could be no hope of his 
passing unrecognised if he WORE SILK on 
the Town Moor, 



Silk-petticoat. 



209 



Silly-season. 



1889. Lie. Viet. Gaz., 18 Jan. The 
largest number we saw CARRY SILK during 
the two days. 

SILK-PETTICOAT. ^SILK-STOCK- 
ING. 

SILK POST, subs. phr. (GROSE). 
' Assumption of a gentleman com- 
moner's gown. Oxf. Univ. Cant? 

SILK-PURSE. See SOW'S-EAR. 

SlLK-SNATCHER, subs. phr. 

(GROSE). 'Thieves who snatch 
hoods or bonnets from persons 
walking in the streets. ' 

SILK-STOCKING, subs. phr. (old). 
A rich man or woman. [Silken 
hose were regarded as extrava- 
gant and luxurious.] Hence, 

THE SILK-STOCKING GENTRY (or 

ELEMENT) = the wealthy classes ; 
and SILKEN = luxurious ; YOUR 
SILKINESS ! = Mr. Luxury. Also 
SILK-PETTICOAT = a woman of 
fashion (in quot. 1706 = a whore 
of price). 

1596. SHAKSPEARE, King John, v. i, 
70. A cocker'd SILKEN wanton. 

1601. JONSON, Poetaster, Hi. i. Sir, 
YOUR SILKINESS clearely mistakes Maecenas 
and his bouse. 

1706. WARD, Wooden. World, 62, 
1 A Midship-Man.' He will have a Whore 
. . . tho' he pay for it ... SILK-PETTI- 
COATS are not to be had for the uptaking. 

SILKWORM, subs. (old). See quot. 

1712. STEELE, Spectator, No. 1564. 
The fellow who drove her came to us, and 
discovered that he was ordered to come 
again in an hour, for that she was a SILK- 
WORM. I was surprised with this phrase, 
but found it was a cant among the hackney 
fraternity for their best customers, women 
who ramble twice or thrice a week from 
shop to shop, to turn over all the goods in 
town without buying anything. The 
SILKWORMS are, it seems, indulged by the 
tradesmen ; for though they never buy, 
they are ever talking of new silks, laces, 
and ribbons, and serve the owners, in 
getting them customers. 



SlLLY, subs, (colloquial). A simple- 
ton : also SILLY-BILLY (or WILLY), 
see quot. 1851, siLLYTON and 
SILLIKIN. Hence TO KNOCK ONE 
SILLY = to hit out of time, or to 
affect au possible : e.g.> ' She 
KNOCKED HIM SILLY ' = ' She sent 
him off his chump (wits, onion) 
about her.' 

c. 1620-150. Percy Folio MS., 199. I 
. . . proffered him a favour ; he kist me, 
and wisht me to beare with his behauior ; 
but hie tro lolly lolly, le SILLY WILLY cold 
not doe, all content with him was spent. 

1725. BAILEY, Erasmus, 586. SILLY- 
TON, forbear railing, and hear what's said 
to you. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., i. 
144. SILLY BILLY is a kind of clown, or 
rather a clown's butt ; but not after the 
style of Pantaloon, for the part is com- 
paratively juvenile. SILLY BILLY is sup- 
posed to be a schoolboy, although not 
dressed in a charity-boy's attire. He is 
very popular with the audience at the 
fairs ; indeed, they cannot do without him. 

.1876. Music Hall Song, 'Blessed 
Orphan.' They think I am a SILLIKIN, 
But I am rather knowing. 

1869. SPURGEON, John Ploughman's 
Talk, TOI. Poor SILLIES they have wind 
on the brain. 

SILLY-SEASON, subs. phr. (journal- 
ists'). The parliamentary recess : 
in the absence of debates, with 
a real or assumed dearth of news, 
the newspapers are driven to print 
all kinds of political and social 
twaddles : cf. GIGANTIC GOOSE- 
BERY, SHOWER OF FROGS, LORD 
ROSEBERY'S LATEST. 

1882. PAYN, For Cash Only, viii. 
Sir Peter's eyes grew big as gooseberries 
in THE SILLY SEASON, in his earnest 
intentness. 

1883. G. A. S[ALA] [///. London 
N&ws, 22 Sep., 275, i]. THE SILLY 
SEASON, forsooth ! Why September is a 
month when, perhaps, the daily news- 
papers are fuller of instructive and enter- 
taining matter than is the case at any other 
season of the year. 



Silver. 



2 tO 



Silver State. 



1892. Pall Mall Gaz. , 16 Aug. , 4, 2. 
Signs of the so-called SILLY SEASON, which 
has been somewhat delayed this year 
owing to the political crisis, are now 
beginning to appear. 

SILVER, subs. (Stock Exchange). 
In pi. = India Rubber, Gutta 
Percha, and Telegraph Co. shares. 
[The works are at Silvertown.] 

See PENNY. 

SILVER-BEGGAR (or -LURKER), 
subs. pkr. (common). A tramp 

with BRIEFS (q.V. ) or FAKEMENTS 

(q.v.) concerning bogus losses by 
fire, shipwreck, accident, and the 
like ; guaranteed by forged sig- 
natures or SHAMS (q.v.) of clergy- 
men, magistrates, &c., the false 
subscription-books being known 
as DELICATES (q.v.). Also SIL 
= ( i ) a forged document, and (2) a 
note on ' The Bank of Elegance ' 
or ' The Bank of Engraving. ' 

_ 1859. SALA, Gaslight and Daylight, 
xiii. Did you never hear of cadgers, 

SILVER-BEGGARS, shalloW-COVCS ? 

SILVER-COOPER, subs. phr. (Scots'). 
See quot. 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xxxiv. 
You rob and you murder, and you want me 
to rob and murder, and play the SILVER- 
COOPER, or kidnapper, as you call it, a 
dozen times over, and then, Hagel and 
Sturm ! You speak to me of conscience ! 

SILVER- FORK, subs. phr. (Win- 
chester: obsolete). A wooden 
skewer : used as a chop-stick 
when forks were scarce (MANS- 
FIELD, ^-.1840). 

THE SILVER FORK SCHOOL, 
subs. phr. (obsolete literary). A 
school of novelists which laid 
especial stress on the etiquette of 
the drawing room : as Theodore 
Hook, Lady Blessington, Mrs. 
Trollope, and Lord Lytton. [It 
is only within the last forty years 



that the old two-pronged steel 
fork has been ousted by cheap 
four-prongs in imitation of silver 
ware. ] 

SILVER-GRAYS, subs. phr. (Ameri- 
can). At a convention of New 
York State certain measures being 
unacceptable, ' many withdrew 
whose locks were silvered by age,' 
drawing forth the remark, ' There 

go THE SILVER GRAYS!' 'The 

term remains and is the only one 
now (1859) used to distinguish 
one branch of the Whig party' 
(BARTLETT). 

SILVER-HELL, subs. phr. (common). 
A low-class gambling den : 
where silver is the usual stake. 

1843. MONCRIEFF, Scamps of Lon- 
don, i. i. He's the principal partner in 
all the SILVER HELLS at the West End. 

SILVER-HOOK. To CATCH FISH 
WITH A SILVER-HOOK, verb. phr. 
(anglers'). To purchase a catch 
in order to conceal unskilful 
angling : It. pescar col hamo 
d'argenta (RAY). 

SILVER-LACED, adj. phr. (old). 
Lousy : e.g. , ' The cove's kicksies 
are SILVER-LACED ' = ' The fel- 
low's breeches are covered with 
lice' (GROSE). 

SILVER-SPOON. BORN WITH A 
SILVER SPOON IN ONE S S MOUTH, 
adj. phr. (colloquial). Born 
rich : It. aver la pera monda ( = to 
have his pear ready pared, RAY). 

1830. BUCKSTONE, Wreck Ashore, i. 
2. Mag. A branch of the aristocracy, 
and to be one of that order means a man 
born to a good place ; or, as we say in the 
vulgar tongue, WITH A SILVER SPOON IN 
HIS MOUTH. 

SILVER STATE (THE), subs. phr. 
(American). Nevada, 



Sim. 



211 



Simple. 



SIM, subs. (Cambridge University). 
A Simeonite, or member of the 
Evangelical section of the Church 
of England ; a Low Churchman. 
The modern equivalent is Pi- 
MAN. [The Rev. Charles Simeon 
(1759-1836) was 54 years Vicar 
of Holy Trinity, Cambridge] : 
GROSE (1785). 

1826. W. W. TODD, The Sizar's 
Table [WHIBLEY, Cap and Gown, 109]. 
Some carnally given to women and wine, 
Some apostles of SIMEON all pure and 
divine. 

1851. BRISTED, Eng. Univ., 39. 
While passing for a terribly hard-reading 
man, and a SIM of the straightest kind 
with the ' empty bottles.' 

SIM KIN. See SIMPKIN and SIMPLE. 
'SIMMON, See PERSIMMON. 

SIMON, subs. (Old Cant). I. Six- 
pence : see RHINO (B. E. ; HALL, 
1714 ; GROSE). 

1885. Household Words, 20 June, 
155. The old joke . . . about St. Peter's 
banking transaction, when he "lodged 
with one Simon a tanner." And this re- 
minds us that SIMON' is also a slang term 
for sixpence, and may possibly owe its 
origin to this play upon the other word. 

2. (circus). A trained horse. 

3. (King Edward's School, 
B'gham). A cane : obsolete. 
[See Acts ix. 43.] 

SIMON PURE, suds. phr. (old). 
The genuine article : also as adj. 

1717. CENTLIVRE, Bold Stroke for a 
Wife. Dram. Pers. SIMON PURE. [See 
Act v. i.] 

1785. WOLCOT [P. Pindar], Lyric 
Odes, x. \Wks. (Dublin, 1795), i. 90]. Flat- 
tery's a mountebank so spruce gets 
riches ; Truth, a plain SIMON PURE, a 
Quaker Preacher. 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, Ivi. 
A young seafaring man came forward. 
"Here," proceeded the counsellor, "is 
the real SIMON PURE " 



1839. LEVER, Harry Lorrequer, 
xvii. Fearing every moment the arrival 
of the real SIMON PURE should cover 
me with shame and disgrace. 

1871. Spectator, 2 Dec., 'George 
Cruikshank.' Nagler, the author of the 
Kunstlerlexicon, studying the controversy 
about the Cruikshanks, read that ' George 
Cruikshank was the true SIMON PURE' 
with the utmost gravity, therefore cata- 
logued him as ' Pure (Simon),' calling 
himself George Cruikshank. 

1879. HOWELLS, Lady of the Aroo- 
stook, xxv. I should like to see what 
you call the SIMON-PURE American. 

1883. Century, xxxvii., 337. The 
home of the SIMON-PURE wild horse is on 
the southern plains. 

SIMKPIN (orSiMKlN),.mfo. (Anglo- 
Indian). i. Champagne. [A 
native pronunciation.] 

1885. J. W. PALMER, New and 
Old. A basket of SIMKIN . . . behind 
the chariot. 

1886. SALA [III. Lon. News, 24 July, 
90]. There is a good deal of SIMPKIN or 
champagne consumed in the three Presi- 
dencies. 

2. (theatrical). The fool in 
comic ballets. 

See SIMPLE. 



SIMPLE, subs, (old). In//- = folly 
(B. E.), hence, as in proverb, 
4 To go to Battersea to be cut for 
the SIMPLES ' = to take means to 
cure of foolishness (Battersea was 
famous for its herb gardens.). 
Also SIMPLETON (SIMKIN or 
SIMPLE SIMON) = a credulous 
person (B. E. and GROSE) : 
' SIMPLE SIMON Suck-egg Sold 
his wife for an addled duck- 
egg' (RAY). 

.1710. SWIFT, Polite Conversation, \. 
Indeed, Mr. Neverout, you should be CUT 
FOR THE SIMPLES this morning. 

1834. SOUTHEY, Doctor, cxxxvi. 
What evils might be averted ... in the 
Lords and Commons by clearing away 
bile . . . and occasionally by CUTTING 

FOR THE SIMPLES. 



Simple Arithmetic. 212 



Sing. 



1876. HINDLEY, Cheap Jack, 7. 
Many more are CUT FOR THE SIMPLES. 

SIMPLE ARITHMETIC, See ARITH- 
METIC. 

SIMPLE INFANTICIDE, subs. phr. 
(venery). Masturbation : see 
FRIG. 



1858. PRATT, Ten Nights in Bar- 
room, i. i. I'll defy SIN to say that I ever 
neglected my work. 

SIN BAD, subs, (nautical). An old 
sailor. 

SINES, subs. (Winchester). Bread : 
A SINES = a small loaf. 



SIMPSON (or SIMSON), subs, (obso- 
lete). I. Water : spec, when 
used for diluting milk ; hence, 
Mrs. SIMPSON (or SIMPSON'S 
cow) = the pump ; ' the cow with 
the iron tail.' Whence (2) = 
poor milk : see SKY-BLUE and 
CHALKERS. 

1860. HOLMES, Professor at the 
Breakfast Table. It is a common saying 
of a jockey that he is all horse, and I 
have often fancied that milkmen get a stiff 
upright carriage, and an angular move- 
ment, that reminds one of a pump and the 
working of a handle. 

1871. Daily News, 17 Ap. He had, 
he stated on inquiry, a liquid called 
SIMPSON on his establishment. 

1871. Standard, n May. Police 
Report. If they annoyed him again he 
would christen them with SIMPSON, which 
he did by throwing a can of milk over the 
police. 

1872. Times, 24 Dec. Police Re- 
port. His master supplied wholesale 
dealers, who, he believed, watered it. 
That was called SIMPSON. Ibid. Witness 
generally milked the cows for himself, 
and then added SIMI'SON at discretion. 

1872. Standard, 25 Dec. SIMPSON 
is ... universally accepted as the title 
for that combined product of the cow 
natural and the "cow with the iron tail." 

1880. Punch, 31 Jan., 48. In the 
first rank of the Committee of Manage- 
ment of The Householders' Pure Milk 
Supply Assn. stands the name of our old 
friend SIMPSON SIMPSON, who has so 
often milked the cow with the iron tail, 
that in the language of the milk walk he 
has become identified with the animal 
Simpson-Pump ! 

SIN, subs, (colloquial). The Devil : 
as the incarnation of evil. 



SINEWS OF WAR, subs. phr. (old). 
Money : generic : see RHINO. 

^.1626. BACON, Works (SPEDDING), x. 
324. The proverb . . . taken first from a 
speech of Mucianus, that MONEYS ARE 

THE SINEWS OF WAR. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, i. xlvi. 

Coin is THE SINEWS OF WAR. 



SING, verb, (common). To cry : 
usually as a threat to a crying 
child, ' I'll give you something to 
SING for.' 

PHRASES. To SING OUT = (i) 
to raise the voice ; (2) to cry, or 
call out, from excess of emotion ; 
and (3), see quot. 1815 ; TO 
SING SMALL = to lessen one's 
pretensions, to eat humble pie 
(GROSE) ; TO SING (or PIPE) 

ANOTHER SONG (or TUNE) = to 

modify one's conduct, manner, 

&C ; TO SING THE SAME SONG = 

to repeat the weakness ; TO SING 
IT = to exaggerate, to swagger, 
* to chant the poker' ; TO SING 
OUT BEEF (thieves') = to call out 
'stop thief!' (GROSE). Also 
proverb, 'He could have SUNG 
well before he broke his left 
shoulder with whistling.' See 
BLACK PSALM ; PLACEBO ; TE 
DEUM. 

1383. CHAUCER, Cant. Tales, 
' Friar's Tale.' Certes, lecchours, did he 
gretest wo ; They sholde SINGEN if that 
they were bent. 

1530. PALSGRAVE, Lang. Franc. 
SYNGE OUT, chanter a playne voyx. 



Singed-cat. 



213 



Single-woman. 



1609. HEYWOOD, If you know not 
me [ Works, i. 207], Const. The Queene 
must hear you SING ANOTHER SONG . . . 
Rliz. My God doth know I can no note 
but truth. 

1753. RICHARDSON, Grandison, i. 
120. I must myself SING SMALL in her 
company. 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xxviii. 
" But old Meg's asleep now," said 
another; "she grows a driveller, and is 
afraid of her own shadow. She'll SING 
OUT* some of these odd-come-shortlies, if 
you don't look sharp." Ibid. [Note]. *To 
SING OUT, or whistle in the cage, is when a 
rogue, being apprehended, peaches against 
his comrades. 

1819. MOORE, Tom Crib, 24. His 
spunkiest backers were forced TO SING 

SMALL. 

1830. LEVER. Harry Lorrequer, 
xvi. When the call-boy would SING OUT 
for Captain Beaugarde . . . we'd find 
that he had levanted. 



1876. CLEMENS, Tom Sawyer, 20. 
You're a kind of SINGED CAT, as the saying 
is. 

SINGLE-BROTH (or -TIFF) subs. phr. 
(old). Small beer : see 
SCREWED. 

^.1635. CORBET, On Dawson, the 
Butltr of Christ Church. And as the 
conduits ran with claret at the coronation 
so let your channels flow with SINGLE TIFF. 

1654. Witts Recreations, 154. Sack's 
but SINGLE BROTH ; Ale's meat, drink, and 
cloth. 

SINGLE-PEEPER, subs. phr. (old.) 
A one-eyed person (GROSE). 

SlNGLE-PENNiF, subs. phr. (back 
slang). A five-pound note : see 

FINNUP. 



1836. SCOTT, Tom Cringle's Log, T l8 9*- CA J ? Ew Auto, of Gipsy, 416. 
i. Who's there 1 SUNG OUT the lieutenant. ? g^s c ean off with the scawfer and bout 



1837. BARHAM, Ingolds. Leg., 'Row 
in an Omnibus Box.' So after all this 
terrible squall, Doldrum and Fal-de-ral-tit 

SING SMALL. 

1848. RUXTON, Far West, 3. They 
made 'em SING OUT. 

1884. RUSSELL, Jack's Courtshif, 
xiii. ' Read the letter aloud, Sophie,' said 
my uncle. ' SING IT OUT, my love.' 

1885. CLEMENT SCOTT [///. Lon. 
News, 3 Oct., 339, i]. There would not 
be so much reason for complaint, if heroism 
and virtue were not made to SING SMALL, 
by the side of this apotheosis of iniquity. 

1902. HEADON HILL, Caged, xvi. 
Go and have a wash and SING OUT for 
that breakfast. 

SING ED-CAT, subs. phr. (American). 
See quots. 

1839. HALIBURTON, Old Judge, \. 44. 
That critter is like a SINGED CAT, better 
nor he seems. 

1858. New Orleans Bulletin, May. 
Parson Brownlow has found an antagonist 
in the Rev. Mr. Pryne, of Cincinnati . . . 
We reckon there'll be fun, as a Cincinnati 
paper says Pryne is a perfect SINGED CAT ! 

1859. BARTLETT, Americanisms, 
s.v. SINGED-CAT. An epithet applied to 
a person whose appearance does him in- 
justice. 



'er thirty quid in SINGLE PENNIFS and 
silver. 

SINGLE-SOLDIER, subs. phr. (old). 
A private. 

1816. SCOTT, Old Mortality, viii. 
I'se e'en turn a SINGLE SODGER mysell, or 
may be a sergeaunt or a captain. 

SINGLETON, subs. (B. E.)- i. 'A 
very silly, foolish Fellow.' 

2. (old). A corkscrew : from 
the name of a Dublin cutler 
famous for his tempering (GROSE). 

3. (gaming). A single card of 
any suit in a hand : whist. Also 
a hand containing such a card. 

1885. Field, 12 Dec. Nor was it to 
prove that the lead of a SINGLETON was 
sometimes good play. 

1885. PROCTOR, How to Play Whist, 
Pref. Outside . . . modern signalling . . . 
and the absolute rejection of the SINGLETON 
lead there is very little difference between 
the whist of to-day and the whist of Hoyle 
and Mathews. 

SINGLE-WOMAN, subs. phr. (old). 
See quot. and TART. 



Sing-song. 



214 



Sinner. 



1530. PALSGRAVE, Lang. Francoyse, 
SYNGLE-WOMAN, a harlot, putayn. 

1657. HOWELL, Londinopolis , 337. 
No Stew-holder, or his wife, should let or 
stay any SINGLE WOMAN to go and come 
freely at all times. No SINGLE WOMAN to 
take money to lye with any man except 
she lie with him all night till the morrow. 

SING-SONG (various). i. (old) = a 
poem; 2. (common) = a convivial 
meeting at a public house at which 
each person is expected to contri- 
bute a SOng ; A FREE-AND-EASY 
(q.v.} ; 3. (nautical) = a Chinese 
theatre ; and 4. (colloquial) = 
' crooning. ' As adj. = musical. 

1656-61. Choyce Drolleries [Ees- 
WOKTH] [OLIPHANT, New Eng. ii. 97. 
The new substantives are blobber-lips, a 
SING-SONG (poem)]. 

^.1704. BROWN, Works, iii. 39. From 
huffing Dryden to SING-SONG Durfey. 

1857. RITCHIE, Night Side of Lon- 
don, 192. The gay have their theatres 
the philanthropic their Exeter Hall the 
wealthy their "ancient concerts "the 
costermongers what they term their SING- 
SONG. 

1869. GREENWOPD. Seven Curses, 19. 
She has her ' young man ' and accompanies 
him of evenings to SING-SONGS and raffles. 

1877. TENNYSON, Queen Mary, ii. 
i. You sit SING-SONGING here. 

1891. STEVENSON, Kidnapped, 197. 
I was amazed at the clipping tones and 
the odd SING-SONG in which he spoke. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 3. 
A sand-parlour 'd shanty devoted to SING- 
SONG. 

1896. KIPLING, Only a Subaltern. 
The illustrated programme of the SING- 
SONG, whereof he was not a little proud. 

1899. WHITEING,/^^.,X. There's 
a little bit of a kick-up to-night with a few 

Of US Sort Of SING-SONG. 

SINK, subs, (colloquial). i. A 
slum ; a ROOKERY : also SINK- 
HOLE. Also (2) a centre of any- 
thing disreputable. 

1565. CALFHILL, Aus. Martialls 
Treatise of the Cross (Parker Soc.), 176. 
[The Palace] a SINK of sectaries. 



1613. PURCHAS, Pilgrimage, 621. 
The SINKE of Fez, where every one may 
be a Vintner and a Bawde. 

^.1842. CHANNING, Perfect Life, 70. 
The SINKS of intemperance . . . shops 
reeking with vapours of intoxicating drink. 

3. (common). A confirmed 
tippler ; and (4) the throat : see 
SEWER. Hence TO FALL DOWN 
THE SINK = to take to drink. 

5. (The Leys School). A heavy 
feed ; a STODGE (q.v.) ; and (6) = 
a glutton. 

PHRASES. To SINK THE 

NOBLEMAN (LOVER, &c.) to 
suppress, to keep in the back- 
ground : cf. SHOP ; SINK ME ! = 
a mild imprecation. 

1772. BRIDGES, Homer Burlesqued, 
13. But SINK ME if I ... understand. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], zoo. I am the idol of my wife, 
and I have not SUNK THE LOVER in the 
husband. Ibid., 283. I ... SUNK THE 
SECRETARY . . . till I should ascertain 
what solid profit might accrue from all my 
bows and scrapes. 

1822. SCOTT, Nigel, xvii. You shall 
SINK A NOBLEMAN in the Temple Gardens, 
and rise an Alsatian at Whitefriars. 

SINKER, subs. (old). i. In pi. = 
base money (SNOWDEN, 1857). 

2. (American), see quot. 

1900. FLYNT, Tramps, 129. When 
he returned with a " poke out " (food given 
at the door) and a SINKER (dollar). 

SINNER, subs, (common), i. A 
publican : cf. Luke xviii. ; 2. 
(old), a harlot : see TART. OLD 
SINNER = a jesting reproach. 

1601. JONSON, Poetaster, iii. i. Tuc. 
I would fain come with my cockatrice 
. . . and see a play if I knew when there 
were a good bawdy one. Hist. We have 
as much ribaldry in our plays ... as you 
would wish, Captain : all the SINNERS in 
the suburbs come and applaud. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 106. Seasoned exactly to the 
taste of these OLD SINNERS. 



Sip. 



2 1 $ Sir John Barleycorn. 



SIP, subs, and verb, (back slang). 
Piss ( .v.). 

SiPPER, suds, (common). Gravy. 

Si QUIS, subs. phr. (old). i. A 
public notice of ordination. 
[These commenced "Si QUIS," 
* ' If any "]. Whence (2) a candi- 
date for holy orders ; and (3) any 
public announcement. As verb. 
= to make hue and cry. 

1599. HALL, Satires, n. v. Saws't 
thou ever SIQUIS patch'd on Paul's Church 
door, To seek some vacant vicarage before. 

1607. MARSTON, What You Will, 
iii. My end is to paste up a si QUIS. 

1609. DEKKER, Gulls Horne-Booke, 
chap. iv. The first time that you venture 
into Powles, passe through the body of the 
Church like a Porter, yet presume not to 
fetch so much as one whole turne in the 
middle He, no nor to cast an eye to si QUIS 
doore (pasted and plaistered up with Seru- 
ing-mens supplications) before you haue 
paid tribute to the top of Powles steeple 
with a single penny. 

1704. Gentleman Instructed, 312. 
He may ... si QUIS me in the next 
Gazette. 

SIR (SIR JOHN or MASS-JOHN), 

subs. (old). A parson; spec. 
(B. E. ) 'a country Parson or 
Vicar ' : see SKY-PILOT (GROSE). 
See JOHN. 

1380. WICLIFFE, Works [E. E. T. 
S.], 192. [OLIPHANT, New English, i. 147. 
The priest SIR JOHN, becomes SIR JACKE 
. . . this change is unusual.] 

1426. Sir Jon Audlay [Percy Soc. '. 
the title of a description of a priest]. 

c.i4[?]. Tale of the Basyn [HAZLITT, 



Early Pop. Poet., iii. 47]. Hit is a preest, 

"is SIR JOHN. Ibid. 
con wake, And nee 



men callis SIR JOHN. 'ibid. 49. SIR JOHN 
sdis water he must make. 



^.1555. LATIMER, Works {.Century}. 
They hire a SIR JOHN which hath better 
skill in playing at tables . . . than in 
God's word. 

1560. BECON, Works [Parker Soc.] 
270. Hold up, SIR JOHN, heave it [the 
Host] a little higher. 



1591. SPENSER, Mother Hubb. Tale, 
v. 390. But this good SIR did follow the 
plaine word. 

1596. LAMBARD, Peramb., 317. A 
poore Chapell, served with a single SIR 
JOHN, and destitute both of font and 
churchyard. 

1602. SHAKSPEARE, Twelfth Night, 
iv. 2. Make him believe you are SIR 
Thopas, the curate. Do it quickly. 

-.1609. FLETCHER, M. Thomas, v. 2. 
Close by the nunnery, there you'll find a 
night-priest, Little SIR Hugh, and he can 
say his matrimony, Over without book. 

1633. JONSON, Tale of a Tub, i. i. 
Though SIR Hugh of Pancras, Be hither 
come to Totten. 

1648. HERRICK, Hesperides, ' The 
Tythe.' If children you have ten, SIR 
JOHN won't for his tenth part ask you one. 

1817. DRAKE, SHAKSPEARE, &c., i. 
88. The language of our Universities . . . 
confers the designation of Dominus on 
those who have taken their first degree of 
Bachelor of Arts ; the word Dominus was 
naturally translated SIR, and, as almost 
ev ery clergyman had taken his first degree, 
it became customary to apply the term to 
the lower class of the hierarchy. 

SIR GARNET, stibs. phr. (street's). 
All right, or as it should be. 
[An echo of the days when Sir 
Garnet (now Viscount) Wolseley 
was in the forefront of military 
matters. ] 

1886-96. MARSHALL, Une Affaire 
cCHonneur [' Pomes," no], And the start 
was all SIR GARNET, Jenny went for 
Emma's Barnet. 

SIR HARRY, suds. phr. (old). A 
jakes : see MRS. JONES. To 
VISIT (or GO TO) SIR HARRY = 
to evacuate the bowels. 

SIR HUGH'S BONES. See BONES. 

SIR JACK SAUCE. See JACK 

SAUCE and SAUCE. 

SIR JOHN BARLEYCORN. See 

BARLEYCORN. 



Sir John Lack-Latin. 216 



Sir-reverence. 



SIR JOHN LACK-LATIN. See 

LACK-LATIN and add earlier 
quot. infra. 

J 535- SIR FRANCIS BYGOD, ' Against 
Impregnations.' [OLIPHANT, New Eng., 
i. 481. Bygod talks of a SIR JOHN LACKE- 
LATIN. ] 

SIR MARTIN WAGSTAFFE, subs. 
phr. (venery). The penis: see 
PRICK. URQUHART. 

SIR OLIVER. See OLIVER. 

SIR PETRONEL FLASH. See 
PETRONEL. 

SIRRAH ! intj. (old). An angry, 
contemptuous, or jesting address : 
also (modern) SIRREE ! (or 

SIRREE, BOB !) 

1526. RASTELL, Hundred Merry 
Tales, 74. [The Sir is lengthened into] 
SIRRA. 

1570. LEVINS, Manip. Vocab. t i. 6. 
SERRHA, heus, io. 

1600. JONSON, Cynthia's Revels, ii, 
i. Page, boy, and SIRRAH : these are all 
my titles. 

1608. SHAKSPEARE, Antony and 
Cleopatra, v. 2, 229. SIRRAH Iras, go ! 

1617. MINSHEU, Guide to Tongues. 
SiRRA, a contemptuous word, ironically 
compounded of Sir and a, ha, as much as 
to say ah, sir, or sir boy, &c. 

1615. DANIEL, Hymen's Triumph, 
313. Ah, SIRRAH, have I found you ? are 
you heere. 

1688. SHADWELL, Sq. of Alsatia, ii. 
Look on my finger, SIRRAH, look here ; 
here's a famble. 



PRIOR, Cupid and Ganymede. 
Guess how the goddess greets her son : 
Come hither, SIRRAH ; no begone. 

1848. RUXTON, Far West, 3. No 
SIRRE-K ; I went out when Spiers lost his 
animals. 

1857. Baltimo re Sun, 30 Mar. 'Sir, 
are you drunk?' The juror ... in a 
bold, half-defiant tone replied, ' No, 
SIRREE, BOB ! ' ' Well ... I fine you five 
dollars for the ' REE ' and ten for the ' BOB. ' 

1900. Brought to Bay, ii. ' So the 
title is secure? ' . . . ' Yes, SIR-EE ! ' 



SIR RETCH, subs, (back slang). A 
cherry. 

SIR- (or SAVE-) REVERENCE, subs, 
verb) and intj. (old colloquial). 
I. An apology : the commonest 
of expressions, for nearly six cen- 
turies, on mentioning anything 
likely to offend, or for which an 
excuse was thought necessary. 
Whence (2) = excrement, a TURD 
(f.v.)i and as verb. = (i) TO SHIT 
j^.zO, and (2) to excuse oneself. 
[Lat. salvd reverentid> whence 
SA 5 REVERENCE. SUR-REVERENCE, 
and SIR-REVERENCE.] 

1356. MANDEVILLE, Travels, 185. 
But aftre my lytylle wytt, it semethe me, 

SAVYNGE HERE REVERENCE, that it is 

more. 

1586. WARNER, Alb. Eng., ii. ip. 
And all for love (SURREVERENCE love !) did 
make her chew the cudde. 

1592. GREENE, Blacke Bookes Mes- 
senger [Works, xi. 33]. His head, and his 
necke, were all besmeared with the soft 
SIRREVERKNCE, so as he stunke worse than 
a Jakes Farmer. 

1593. SHAKSPEARE, Comedy of 
Errors, iii. 2. A very reverend body : 
ay, such a one as a man may not speak of, 
without he say, SIR-REVERENCE. Ibid. 
(1595), Romeo and Juliet, i. 4. We'el 
draw you from the mire Of this SIR- 
REVERENCE, love, wherein thou slickest 
Up to the ears. 

1594. LYLY Mother Bombie, i. 2. 
SAVING A REVERENCE, that's a lie ! 

1596. HARRINGTON, Metam. Ajax 
[Letter prefixed to]. The third I cannot 
name wel without SAVE-REVERENCE, and 
yet it sounds not unlike the shooting place. 

1605. JONSON, CHAPMAN, &c., East- 
ward Hoe, iv. i. We shall as soon get a 
fart from a dead man . . . Sister, SIR- 
REVERENCE ! 

1607. Puritan, iii. i. A man that 
would ... go ungartered, unbuttoned, 
nay (SIR-REVERENCE !) untrussed, to morn- 
ing prayer. 

1614. JONSON, Bartholomew Fair, 
iv. i. His wife, SIR REVERENCE, cannot 
get him make his water, or shift his shirt, 
without his warrant. 



Sir Sauce. 



217 



Siserara. 



1626. FLETCHER, Fair Maid of the 
Inn, iii. i. The . . . suitors that attend 
to usher Their loves, SIR-REVERENCE, to 
your daughter. 

1630. TAYLOR, Epig., 40. If to a 
foule discourse thou hast pretence, Before 
thy foule words name SIR-REVERENCE. 

</.i6so. FLETCHER, Poems, 10. A 
puppy licks Manneia's lipps, the sense I 
grant, a dog may kiss SIR-REVERENCE. 

1655. MASSINGER, Very Woman, ii. 
3. The beastliest man . . . (SIR-REVER- 
ENCE of the company !) a rank whore- 
master. 

1665. HEAD, English Rogue (1874), 
i. iii. 30. Another time SIRREVERENCING 
in a paper, and running to the window 
with it. 

1662. Rump Songs, ii. 47. First 
with a SIRREVERENCE ushers the Rump. 

1703. WARD, London Spy, ii. 38. A 
narrow Lane, as dark as a Burying Vault, 
which Stunk of stale Sprats . . . and 

SIRREVERENCE. 

^.1704. BROWN, Works, ii. 180. Knock- 
ing a shiting porter down, when you were 
diunk, back in his own SIR-REVERENCE. 

1714. Memoirs of John Hall(\ Ed.), 
15. The Lower-Ward [of Newgate], 
where the tight-slovenly Dogs lye upon 
ragged Blankets, spread near SIR-REVER- 
ENCE. 

1771. SMOLLETT, Humph. Clinker 
(1900), i. 66. Asked if he did not think 
such a ... mixture would improve the 
whole mass, ' Yes ... as a plate of mar- 
malade would improve a pan of SIR- 
REVERENCE. 

1785. GROSE, Vulgar Tongue, s.v. 
REVERENCE. An ancient custom which 
obliges any person easing himself near the 
highway ... on the word REVERENCE 
being given him by a passenger to take off 
his hat with his teeth, and without moving 
... to throw it over his head, by which 
it frequently falls into the excrement . . . 
A person refusing to obey might be pushed 
backwards. Ibid., s.v. TARTADDLIN 
TART. 

1847. HALLIWELL, Arch, and Prov. 
Words, s.v. REVERENCE. A woman of 
Devon describing something not peculiarly 
delicate, apologised with "SAVING YOUR 
REVERENCE." This is not uncommon in 
the country. 

SIR SAUCE. See JACK SAUCE and 
SAUCE. 



SIR SYDNEY, subs. phr. (old). A 
clasp knife (GROSE and VAUX). 

SIR THOMAS GRESHAM. To SUP 
WITH SIR THOMAS GRESHAM, 
verb. phr. (old). To go hungry : 
see DUKE HUMPHREY. 

1628. HAYMAN, Quidlibet [Epigram 
on a Loafer]. For often with duke Hum- 
phrey thou dost dine, And often with SIR 
THOMAS GRESHAM SUP. 

See PERTHSHIRE GREYBREEKS. 

SIR TIMOTHY, subs. phr. (B. E. 
and GROSE. 'One that Treats 
every Body, and Pays the Reckon- 
ings every where.' 

SIR TRISTAM'S KNOT, subs. phr. 
(old). The hangman's noose : see 
LADDER and HORSECOLLAR. 

[ ? ]. WlLYAM BULLEIN. Light 

fellows merrily will call . . . neckweede, 
or SIR TRISTAM'S KNOT. 



SIR WALTER SCOTT, subs. 
(rhyming). A pot of beer. 



phr. 



SISERARA (SARSARA, SISERARA, 
SASARARA, &.C,, subs. (old). i. 
A writ of removal from a lower to 
a higher Court. Hence (2) = a 
blow, a scolding, an outburst; 
WITH A SARSARA = with a ven- 
geance, suddenly. 

1607. TOURNEUR, Revenger's Mag. 
[DODSLEY, Old Plays [REED), iv. 379]. 
Pray . . . that their sins may be removed 
by a writ of error, and their souls fetched 
up to heaven with a SASARARA. 

1607. Puritan, iii. 3. If it be lost or 
stole ... a cunning kinsman of mine . . . 
would fetch it again with a SESARARA. 

1758. STERNE, Tristam Shandy, vi. 
47. I fell in love all at once with a SISSE- 
RARA. 

1766. GOLDSMITH, Vicar, xxi. 
Gentle or simple, out she shall pack with a 

SUSSARARA. 

1771. SMOLLETT, Humphrey 
Clinker, i. 80. I have gi'en the dirty slut 
a SISERARY. 



Sister. 



218 



Sit-on-a-rock. 



SCOTT [Century]. He attacked 
it with such a SISERARY of Latin as might 
have scared the devil himself. 

SISTER, subs. (old). A disguised 
whore : see TART. 

1607. DEKKER, Westward Ho, ii. 2. 
The serving-man has his punk, the student 
his nun . . . the Puritan his SISTER. 

See BROTHER SMUT. 

SISTERHOOD, subs, (old). Har- 
lotry in general. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. i. 
She certainly must be considered a female 
. . . materially different from THE SISTER- 
HOOD in general. 

SIT, subs. (American printers'). 
Situation : e.g. OUT OF A SIT = 
out of a job. 

PHRASES. To SIT ON ONE'S 
KNEES = to kneel ; TO SIT UNDER 
= to attend the ministry of some 
particular divine ; TO SIT A 
WOMAN = to keep the NIGHT- 
COURTSHIP (q.v.} : cf. BUNDLE ; 
TO SIT ON (or UPON)-(I) to take 
to task, to snub in anger, con- 
tempt, or jest : also SAT-UPON, 
adj. = reprimanded, snubbed ; and 
(2) to allow milk to brim in the 
pan ; TO SIT EGGS = to outstay 
one's welcome ; TO SIT IN = to 
adhere firmly ; TO SIT UP = to 
pull oneself together ; TO MAKE 
ONE SIT UP = to astonish, discon- 
cert, or get an advantage. See 
also BODKIN, SKIRTS. 

1474-85. Paston Letters [ARBER] 
235. [OLIVHANT, New Eng:, i, 341. Our 
slang use of SIT UPON is foreshadowed 
... the King intends TO SITTE UPPON a 
criminal; that is, in judgment.] 

[ ? ]. Battle of Babrinnes [CHILD, 
Ballads, vn. 229. When they cam to the 
hill againe They SETT DOUNE ON THAIR 

KNEES. 

1644. MILTON, Of Education. There 
would then also appear in pulpits other 
visages, other gestures, and stuff other- 
wise wrought than what we now SIT 

UNDER. 



1754. Connoisseur, No. 27. The . . . 
audience that SITS UNDER our preachers. 

1821. SCOTT, Kenil-worth, xxxii. I 
protest, Rutland, that while he SAT ON 
HIS KNEES before me ... I had much ado 
to forbear cutting him over the pate. 

1830. SOUTHEY, Bunyan, 25. At 
this time he SAT (in puritanical language) 
UNDER the ministry of holy Mr. Gifford. 



1852. Notes and Queries, I S., iv. 
43. It is said a young man is SITTING A 
YOUNG WOMAN when he is wooing or 
courting her. 

1855. THACKERAY, Newcomcs, ii. 
Each to SIT UNDER his or her favourite 
minister. 

1876. C. H. WALL, tr. Moliere, \. 
411. The jester shall be SAT UPON in his 
turn ; he shall have a rap over the 
knuckles, by Jove. 

1880. A. TROLLOPE, The Duke's 
Children, xxvi. Experience had taught 
him that the less people demanded the 
more they were SAT UPON. 

1883. JAMES PAYN, Thicker than 
Water, xxi. The only person to whom he 
had ever known Mary distinctly antago- 
nistic . . . He had seen her SIT UPON him 
. . . rather heavily more than once. 

1883. Referee, March 25, 2, 4. In 
the years gone by when I was good, and 
used to SIT UNDER Newman Hall at 
Surrey Chapel. 

1888. G. GISSING, A Life's Morning, 
iii. He allowed himself to be SAT UPON 
gracefully ; a snub well administered to 
him was sure of its full artistic, and did 
not fail in its moral effect. 

1891. Harry Fludyer, 15. I forgot 
to open last term's bills. I found them 
yesterday all stowed away in a drawer, 
and they MADE ME SIT UP. 

1893. Chambers's Jour., 25 Feb., 
128. With that SAT-UPON sort of man 
. . . you never know where he may 
break out. 

1902. Free Lance, 6 Oct., 4, 2. The 
fashion papers of Paris make even Ame- 
rica SIT UP. 

SlTH-NOM, subs. phr. (back slang). 
A month. 

SiT-ON-A-ROCK, subs. phr. (Ameri- 
can). Rye whiskey. 



Sil-still-nest. 



219 



Six. 



SIT-STILL- NEST, subs. phr. (pro- 
vincial). A cow-turd ; QUAKER 

(q.V.) ; PANCAKE (q.V.). 

SITTER, subs. (Harrow). A sitting 
room ; cf. BREKKER, FOOTER, 
SACCER, &c. 

SITTING-BREECHES. To WEAR 
ONE'S SITTING BREECHES, verb, 
phr. (old). 'To stay long in 
company ' (GROSE) : also TO SIT 

LONGER THAN A HEN : cf. TO 
SIT EGGS. 

SITUATION, subs, (racing). A 
place. 

1882. " THORMANBY," Famous Rac- 
ing Men, 105. The three worst horses, 
probably, that ever monopolized the Derby 
SITUATIONS. 

SIT-UPONS, subs. phr. (common). 
Trousers : see KICKS. 



Sunday-going SIT-UPONS. 

1857. CUTHBERT BEDE, Verdant 
Green, II. x. I should advise you, old 
fellow, to get your SIT-UPONS seated with 
wash-leather. 

SIVVY, subs, (common). Word of 
honour ; asseveration : e.g., "PON 
MY SIVVY ' = ' It's true Honour 
bright ! ' CJ. DAVY. 

1883. GREENWOOD, Tag; Rag, and 
Co. TON MY SIVVY, if you were to see 
her pecking, you'd think she was laying 
on pounds weight in a day instead of 
losing. 

1884. Daily Telegraph, 2 Feb., 3, i. 
" You'll 'scuse the cheek I gave you just 
now, mister," the scowling young gentle- 
man remarked, " but, 'PON MY SIVVY, we 
took you for the police." 

1892. WATSON, Wops the Waif, n. 
Now I'll be as quiet as a dummy ; I will, 
'PON MY SIVY ! 

Six, subs, (old). i. Beer sold at 
6s. a barrel ; small beer : cf. 
FOUR-HALF and (modern) six 
ALE. 



1631. Clitus's Whimsies, 97. How 
this threede-bare philosopher shrugges, 
shiffs, and shuffles for a cuppe of six. 

1633. ROWLEY, Match at Midnight, 

1. i. Look if he be not drunk ! The very 
sight of him makes one long for a cup of 
six. 

2. (Oxford Univ.). A privy. 

AT SIXES AND SEVENS, phr. 

(old). In confusion ; at logger- 
heads (GROSE) : also TO SET ON 
SEVEN = to confuse, to disarray. 

c.i 340. Avowyne of King Arther, 64 
[Camden Soc., Eng. Meln. Rom., 89]. 
Alle in sundur hit [a tun] brast IN six OR 

IN SEUYN. 

1369. CHAUCER, Troilus, iv. 622. 
Lat not this wreched wo thyne herte 
gnawe, But manly, SET the worlde ON six 

AND SEVENE. 

[?]. Morte Arthure [E. E. T. S.], 
2131. Thus he SETTEZ ON SEVENE with 
his sekyre knyghttes . . . And thus at the 
joyenyge the geauntez are dystroyede. 

1596. NASHE, Saffron Walden 
{.Works, iii. 38]. _ Caring for all other 
things else, sets his owne estate AT SIXE 

AND SEAUEN. 

1597. SHAKSPEARE, Richard II., \\. 

2. All is uneven, And everything is left AT 

SIX AND SEVEN. 

1598. FLORIO, Worlde of Wordes, 
s.v. Asbaraglio ... at SIXE AND 
SEAUEN, in vaine. 

1678. COTTON, Virgil Tra-vestie 
[Works (1725) 73]. But, like a Dame of 
Wits bereaven, Let all Things go AT six 

AND SEVEN. 

^.1704. BROWN, Works, i. 68. May 
thy Affairs ... All the World o'er AT 

SIXES lie AND SEVENS. 

1768. GOLDSMITH, Good Natured 
Man, i. Haven't I reason to be out of my 
senses, when I see things going AT SIXES 

AND SEVENS? 

1772. BRIDGES, Burlesque Homer, 
481. Whilst things went on AT six AND 
SEVEN, Jove smok'd a serious pipe in 
heaven. 

1781. Gentleman's Mag., li. 367. AT 
SIXES AND SEVENS, as the old woman left 
her house. 



Sir-and-Eigktpence. 220 Sixty-per-cent. 



1790. D'ARBLEV, Diary (1876), iii. 
240. All my workmen in the country are 
AT SIXES AND SEVENS, and in want of my 
directions. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 432. The affairs of the treasurer 
. . . are all AT SIXES AND SEVENS. 

1816. SCOTT, Antiquary, xxii. All 
goes TO SIXES AND SEVENS an universal 
saturnalia seems to be proclaimed in my 
peaceful and orderly family. 

SIX OF ONE AND HALF A 
DOZEN OF THE OTHER, phr. 

(common). Much alike ; not a 
pin to choose between them ; 
* never a barrel the better herring.' 

SlX-AND-ElGHTPENCE, Subs. phr. 

(old). I. A solicitor : see 
GREEN-BAG (GROSE). 

1756. FOOTE, Englishman Ret. from 
Paris. [An attorney is hailed as] Good 

SIX-AND-EIGHTPENCE. 

2. (old). See quot. 

.1696. B. E., Cant. Crew, s.y. Six 
AND EIGHT-PENCE, the usual Fee given, to 
carry back the Body of the Executed 
Malefactor, to give it Christian Burial. 

SlX-AND-TlPS, subs. phr. (Irish). 
Whiskey and small beer (GROSE). 

SIXER, subs, (thieves'). i. Six 
months' hard labour. Also 2. 
(prison) see quot. 1877. 

1869. Temple Bar, xxvi. 75. The 
next bit I did was a SIXER. 

1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, 
iii. 194. He keeps a sharp eye on that 
man to see he does not "filch" a SIXER, 
as the six-ounce loaf, served with the 
dinner, is called. 

1886-96. MARSHALL, Bleary Bill 
[' Pomes ' 61]. I see what the upshot will 
be, Dear me ! A SIXER with H.A.R.D. 

SIX-FOOTER, subs. phr. (colloquial). 
A person six-feet (or more) in 
height. 

c. 1 886. Scientific A merican [Century]. 
The centenarian is a SIX-FOOTER, chews 
tobacco, and loves a good story. 



SIXPENCE. See SPIT. 

SIXPENNY, subs. (Eton). A play- 
ing field. 

1864. Eton School Days, vi. If you 
are not in SIXPENNY after twelve, I will do 
my best to give you a hiding wherever I 
meet you. 

Adj. (old), Cheap ; mean ; 
worthless : generic. Hence SIX- 
PENNY STRIKERS = petty foot- 
pads. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, i Hen. IV., ii. 
i, 82. I am joined with no foot-land 
rakers, no long -staff SIXPENNY strikers. 

1605. London Prodigal, \. i. I'll 
not let a SIXPENNY purse escape me. 

c. 1619. M ASSINGER, &c. , City Madam, 
iii. i. I know them, swaggering, subur- 
bian roarers, SIXPENNY truckers. 

SIX-SHOOTER, subs. phr. (common). 
A six chambered revolver. Six- 
SHOOTER HORSE = a swift horse. 

1887. FRANCIS, Saddle and Mocassin. 
A SIX-SHOOTER HORSE is a heap better 
than a six-shooter gun in these cases. 

1894. W. M. BAKER, New Timothy, 
177. ' The weapons of our warfare 
are not carnal ' bowie-knives, SIX- 
SHOOTERS, an' the like. 

1900. SAVAGE, Brought to Bay, viii. 
With a quiet smile, he loaded his SIX- 
SHOOTER ... 'for contingencies." 

SIXTY, subs, (common). Generic 
for magnitude. 

1886. Household Words, 18 Sept., 
415. " Like one o'clock," " Like wink- 
ing," and " To go like SIXTY," all imply 
briskness and rapidity of motion. 

SIXTY-PER-CENT, subs. phr. (old). 
A usurer : also CENT-PER- 
CENT. 

1616. FLETCHER, Custom of the 
Country, ii. 3. There are few gallants 
. . . that would receive such favours from 
the devil, though he appeared like a 
broker, and demanded SIXTY i' TH' HUN- 
DRED. 

1853. READE, Gold, i. i. What you 
do on the sly, I do on the sly, old SIXTY 

PER CENT. 



Six-upon-four. 



221 



Size. 



1850. KINGSLEY, Geoffry Hamlyn, 
xiii. Good night, old mole," said 
Hawker; "good night, old bat, old 
parchment skin, old SIXTY PER CENT. 
Ha, ha 1 " 

1889. MARSH, Crime and Criminal, 
xii. Was he going to develop into a 
SIXTY PER CENT, and offer me a loan ? 

SIX-UPON-FOUR, phr. (nautical). 
See quot. 

1838. GLASCOCK, Land Sharks and 
Sea Gulls, ii. 193. It was wicked work 
with them when it came to be six UPON 
FOUR, in other words, when long cruizes 
produced short commons. 

1885. Household Words, 25 July, 
260. In his time ' there were often six 
UPON FOUR aboard ship, and two banyan 
days in a week,' which being translated is, 
the rations of four men were served out 
amonest six, in addition to which, on two 
days in the week no rations were served 
out at all. 

SIX-WATER GROG, subs. phr. (nauti- 
cal). Six of water to one of spirit. 

1834. MARRY AT, Peter Simple, xxxv. 
" Take care I don't send for another 
helmsman, that's all, and give the reason 
why. You'll make a wry face upon SIX- 
WATER GROG to-morrow, at seven bells." 



SIZE [subs, and verb, and SIZAR J, 
subs. (Cambridge Univ. and Trin. 
Coll., Dublin). I. See quots. : 
the grade no longer exists ; prac- 
tically speaking, it has ceased to 
exist for a century. 

1592. NASHE, Piers Pennilesse, 45. 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng., 2, u. A Cam- 
bridge butler sets up a SIZE (allowance of 
bread) ; hence come SIZARS]. 

1594. GREENE, Friar Bacon and 
Friar Bung ay. Friar Bacon's SUB-SIZER 
is the greatest blakhead in all Oxford. 

1605. SHAKSPEAR, Lear, ii. 4, 178. 
'Tis not in thee to grudge my pleasures 
... to scant my SIZES. 

1606. Ret. from Parnassus [N ARES]. 
So ho, maister recorder, you that are one 
of the divel's fellow commoners, one that 
SIZETH the devil's butteries. 



1617. MINSHEN, Guide unto Tongues, 
s. v. A SIZE is a portion of bread or drinke, 

1. is a farthing, which Schollers in Cam- 
bridge haue at the butterie ; it is noted 
with the letter S. , as in Oxeford with the 
letter Q. for halfe a farthing and q/u. for a 
farthing ; and whereas they say in Oxford 
to Battle in the butterie booke, i. to set 
downe on their names what they take in 
Bread, Drinke, Butter, Cheese, &c., so in 
Cambridge they say to SIZE, i. to set 
downe their quantum, i. how much they 
take on their names in the Butterie booke. 

1626. FLETCHER and ROWLEY, Wit 
at Sev. Weapons, ii. To be so strict A 
niggard to your Commons, that you're fain 
To SIZE your belly out with shoulder fees. 

1630. RANDOLPH, Aristippus [HAZ- 
LITT, Works ^i^), 14]. Drinking College 
tap-lash . . . will let them have no more 
learning than they SIZE. 

1633. SHIRLEY, Witty Fair One, iv. 

2. I know what belongs to SIZING, and 
have answered to my cue in my days ; I 
am free of the whole university. 

<f.i635. CORBET, Answ. to a Certain 
Poem. How lackeys and SUB-SIZERS press 
And scramble for degrees. 

1785. GROSE, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. SIZE. 
To sup at one's own expense. If a man 
asks you to sup, he treats you : if to SIZE, 
you pay for what you eat, liquor only being 
provided by the inviter. Ibid. SIZING- 
PARTY'S. A number of students who con- 
tribute each his part towards a supper. 

1787. Gentleman's Mag-., 1147. The 
term SUB-SIZAR became forgotten, and the 
SIZAR was supposed to be the same as the 
servitor. Ibid. (1795), 21. In general, a 
SIZE is a small plateful of any eatable ; 
and at dinner TO SIZE is to order for your- 
self any little luxury that may chance to 
tempt you ... for which you are ex- 
pected to pay the cook at the end of the 
term. 

1798. Laws of Harvard College 
[HALL, College Words and Customs, 428]. 
When they come into town after commons, 
they may be allowed TO SIZE a meal at the 
kitchen. 

18... HAWKINS, Orig. of Drama, 
iii. 271. You are still at Cambridge with 
your SIZE cue 

1811. Laws of Yale College [HALL, 
College Words and Customs, 428], At the 
close of each quarter the Butler shall make 
up his bill against each student, in which 
every article SIZED, or taken up by him at 
the Buttery shall be particularly charged. 



Size. 



222 



Skedaddle. 



1824. Gradus ad Cantab., s.v. 
SIZAR. The distinction between pension- 
ers and SIZERS is by no means considerable 
. . . Nothing is more common than to see 
pensioners and SIZERS taking sweet coun- 
sel together, and walking arm-in-arm to 
St. Mary's as friends. 

_ 1848. THACKERAY, Book of Snobs, 
xiii. The unlucky boys who have no tas- 
sels to their caps are called SIZARS servi- 
tors [sic} at Oxford ... A distinction is 
made in their clothes because they are 
poor ; for which reason they wear a badge 
of poverty, and are not allowed to take 
their meals with their fellow students. 

185 . MACAULAY, Oliver Goldsmith. 
The SIZARS paid nothing for food and 
tuition, and very little for lodging ; but 
they had to perform some menial services 
from which they have long been relieved. 
They swept the court ; they carved up the 
dinner to the fellows' table, and changed 
the plates, and poured out the ale of the 
rulers of the society. 

1851. BRISTED, Eng. Univ., 20. 'Go 
through a regular second course instead of 
the SIZINGS.' Ibid., 19. Soup, pastry and 
cheese can be SIZED for. 

18 . . . PEIRCE, Hist. Harvard Univ. , 
219. We were allowed at dinner a cue of beer, 
which was a half-pint, and a SIZING of 
bread, which I cannot describe to you. It 
was quite sufficient for one dinner. 

1861. O'CuRRY, Ancient Irish, i. iv. 
Public schools where the sons of the lower 
classes waited on the sons of the upper 
classes, and received certain benefits (in 
food, clothes, and instruction) from them 
in return. In fact the SIZAR-SHIPS in our 
modern colleges appear to be a modified 
continuation of this ancient system. 

1864. HOTTEN, Slang Diet., s.v. 
SIZER. Poor scholars at Cambridge, an- 
nually elected, who got their dinners (in- 
cluding SIZINGS) from what was left at the 
upper, or Fellows' table, free, or nearly so. 
They paid rent of rooms, and some other 
fees, on a lower scale than the " Pension- 
ers " or ordinary students, and were equal 
with the "battlers" and "servitors" at 
Oxford. 

1889. Cambridge Univ. Cal., 5. 
SIZARS are generally Students of limited 
means. They usually have their commons 
free, and receive various employments. 

2. (old). Half-a-pint (GROSE). 

3. (colloquial). Result; state; 
fact. 



1861. BRADDON, Trail of the Ser- 
pent, iv, vii. " Dead?" said Richard . . . 
" That's about THE SIZE OF IT, sir," re- 
plied Mr. Peters. 

1889. Lie. Viet. Gaz., 8 Feb. They 
don't like to see a man's figure-head bat- 
tered, that's about THE SIZE OF IT. 

1891. GOULD, Double Event, 295. 
' That's about THE SIZE OF IT,' said Jack, 
' and I don't think you could do better.' 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 22. 
That's THE SIZE OF IT, Charlie. 

1902. HEADON HILL, Caged, xviii. 
That's about THE SIZE OF IT ... I could 
have got away. 

Verb, (colloquial). To mea- 
sure ; to gauge ; to reckon up : 
also TO SIZE UP. 

1380. MIRK, Inst. Parish Priests 
[E. E. T. S.], 39. [OLIPHANT, New Eng., 
i. 106. The old noun SYSE is used for 
measure ; hence our to SIZE MEN on 
parade. ] 

1847. PORTER, Big Bear, 94. You 
see, Mr. Porter, I thot I'd SIZE her pile. 

1889. Puck's Library, 25 Ap. If 
you want to know just how thoroughly the 
community has SIZED YOU UP, and to get 
the exact dimensions, ask for the best part 
in the amateur theatricals. 

1891. _ MARRIOTT-WATSON, Web of 
Spider, xi. I haven't seen your little 

5 id's face yet ... It was dark . . . and 
hadn't time to SIZE her. 

1900. SAVAGE, Brought to Bay, i. 
The two . . . had SIZED UP the other 
guests as not worth . . . powder. 

SKARY. See SKEER. 

SKEDADDLE, subs, and verb, (com- 
mon). As subs. = hasty flight: 
also SKEDADDLING. As verb. = 
to scamper off ; to scatter ; to 
spill. For synomyns see BUNK. 

1861. New York Tribune [BART- 
LETT]. With the South-east clear and 
General Price retiring into Arkansas in the 
South-west, we may expect to witness such 
a grand SKEDADDLE of Secesh and its 
colored property as was never seen before. 

1861. Missouri Democrat, Aug. No 
sooner did the traitors discover their 
approach than they SKEDADDLED, a phrase 
the Union boys up here apply to the good 
use the Seceshers make of their legs in 
time of danger. 



Skeer. 



223 



Skelder. 



1862. New York Tribune. 27 May, 
'War Correspondence.' Rebel SKE- 
DADDLING is the next thing on the pro- 
gramme. 

1864. HOTTEN, Slang Diet., 292. 
Lord Hill wrote [to The Times} to prove 
that it was excellent Scotch. The Ameri- 
cans only misapply the word . . . in 
Dumfries ' to spill ' milkmaids . . . 
saying, ' You are SKEDADDLING all that 
milk.' 

1874. BAKER, Ismailia, 211. Their 
noisy drums had ceased, and suddenly I 
perceived a general SKEDADDLE. 

1877. Atlantic Monthly, xl. 234. 
We used to live in Lancashire and heard 
SKEDADDLE every day of our lives. It 
means to scatter, or drop in a scattering 
way. 

1880. MORTIMER COLLINS, Thoughts 
in my Garden, i. 50. The burghers SKE- 
DADDLED, and the Squire, thanks to his 
faint-hearted butler, had no chance of 
using his cavalry sword. 

1890. Pall Mall Gaz., 17 Oct., 2, i. 
One fine day it happens that two Irish 
leaders SKEDADDLE in a trawler to the 
Continent. 

1898. GOULD, Landed at Last, vii. 
They pays regular. There's no midnight 
SKEDADDLING about them. 

1901. WALKER, In the Blood, 261. 
'E's a "goner," buried in a fall of earth, 
blown up, killed, SKEDADDLED out o' this 
camp. 

1902. HEADON HILL, Caged, xxxiv. 
And the bars, are they cut ready for a 

SKEDADDLE. 

SKEER, verb. (American). To 
scare. Hence SKEERY (SKARY, 
SCARY) = (i) dreadful ; (2) 
frightened, nervous. 

1582. STANIHURST, Mneid, iv. 438. 
But toe thee, poore Dido, this sight so 
SKEARYE beholding. 

1825. NEAL, Bro. Jonathan, i. iv. 
Ye wasn't SKEERED, nor nothin', was ye, 
tho'. 

1841. The Kinsmen, i. 150. ' Don't 
you be SCAREY,' said he. 

1848. ROBB, Squatter Life [BART- 
LETT]. I got a little SCARY and a good 
deal mad. 

1852. "HAL.IBURTON, Traits 0f A tner. 
Humour, I. 222. He's the SCARIEST 
horse you ever saw. 



1869. BLACKMORE, Lorna Doone, 
lix. The horses were a little SKEARY. 

1880. Scribner's Mag., Jan., 332. I 
seen they was mighty SKEERED. 

1885. HAWLEY SMART, Struck 
Down, xi. Women get SKEARY, and 
desperate afraid of being compromised. 

^.1892. WHITTIER, Poems [Century]. 
I'm SCARY always to see her shake Her 
wicked hand. 

SKEESICKS, subs. (American). A 
good-for-nothing ; also like ' dog,' 
'rogue,' 'rascal,' in playful ad- 
dress. BARTLETT. [LELAND 
(S. J. & C): 'I take it rather 
to mean a fidgetty, fussy, little 
fellow.'] 

1858. Evening Star (Washington), 
Nov. " Oh, he be d d 1 " replied the 
fellow : " he's the little SKEEZICKS that told 
me to call for Long. " This brought down 
the house. 

1870. BRET HARTE, Higgles [Cen- 
tury], Thar ain't nobody but him within 
ten miles of the shanty, and that ar' . . . 
old SKEESICKS knows it. 

SKEET, verb. (old). A variant of 
SCOOT (q.v.); to run, or decamp. 
As adj. and adv. (old literary) = 
swift, fleet. 

^.1360. Allit. Poems [MORRIS], iii. 
195. Thenne ascryed thay him SKETE. 

.1400. Tale of Gamelyn, 185. A 
steede ther sadeled smertely and SKEET. 

.1430. Destr. of Troy [E. E. T. S.], 
13434. This Askathes, the skathill, had 
SKET sons thre. 

1848. BURTON, Waggeries, 17. The 
critter . . . SKEETED over the side o' the 
ship into the water. 

SKEETER, subs. (American). A 
mosquito. 

1852. STOWE, Uncle Tom's Cabin, 
xx. Law, Miss Feely whip! [she] wouldn't 
kill a SKEETER. 

SKELDER, subs. (old). A rogue ; a 
SPONGE (q.v.) : as verb. to 
cheat ; to play the sponge : cf. 
SKELLUM. Hence SKELDERING 
= swindling ; sponging. , 



Skeleton. 



224 



Skewer. 



1599' JONSON, Ev. Man Out of 
Humour. His profession is SKELDERING 
and odling. Ibid. (1601), Poetaster, iii. 4. 
A man may SK ELDER ye now and then of 
half a dozen shillings or so. Ibid. i. 
There was the mad SKELDERING captain 
. . . that presses every man he meets, with 
an oath to lend him money. 

1609. DEKKER, Gulls Horne-Booke, 
v. If he be poore, he shall now and then 
light upon some Gull or other, whom he 
may SKELDER (after the gentile fashion) of 
mony. 

1611. MIDDLETON and DEKKER, 
Roaring Girl, v. i. Soldiers? You 
SKELDERING varlets ! 

1633. MARMION, Fine Companion. 
Wandring abroad to SKELDER for a shil- 
ling Amongst your bowling alleys. 

1773. HAWKINS, Orig. Eng. Drama, 
iii. 119. If SKELDRING fall not to decay, 
thou shalt flourish. 

1823. SCOTT, Peveril, xxxviii. She 
hath many a thousand stitched to her 
petticoat ; such a wife would save thee 
from SKELDERING on the public. 

SKELETON. A SKELETON IN THE 

CUPBOARD (LOCKER, CLOSET, 

HOUSE), subs. phr. (colloquial). 
A secret source of trouble, fear, 
or annoyance. Fr. un cadavre. 

1855. THACKERAY, Ne-wcomes, xvii. 
Barnes' SKELETON CLOSET [Title]. 

SKELLUM (or SCELLUM), subs. 
(Old Cant). A rascal : a vaga- 
bond : cf. SKELDER. 

1611. CORY AT, Crudities. He longs 
for sweet grapes, but going to steale 'em, 
He findeth soure graspes and gripes from a 
Dutch SKELUM. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works, ii. 123. None 
hold him, but all cry, Lope, SCELLUM, 
lope! 

1663. PEPYS, Diary, 3 Ap. He 
ripped up Hugh Peters (calling him the 
execrable SKELLUM), his preaching stirred 
up the maids of the city to bring their bod- 
kins and thimbles. 

1690. Pagan Prince. Let me send 
that SKELLUM to perdition. 

1719. DURFEY, Pills, \. 210. Now 
to leave off writing, SKELLUMS pine and 
grieve, When we're next for Fighting 
We'll not ask you leave. 



1791. BURNS, Tarn o'Skanter. She 
tauld thee weel thou wast a SKELLUM, A 
blethering, blustering, drunken blellum. 

SKELPER, subs, (provincial). Any- 
thing big or striking : see SPANK- 
ER and WHOPPER. [SKELP = 
a blow, and as verb, to strike.] 

SKELTER. See HELTER-SKELTER. 

SKENSMADAM, subs, (provincial). 
A show dish, sometimes real, 
sometimes sham. 

SKERFER, subs, (pugilists'). A 
blow on the neck. 

SKET, subs, (thieves'). A skeleton- 
key. 

SKEVINGTON'S - DAUGHTER (or 
(-IRONS). See SCAVENGER'S- 

DAUGHTER. 

SKEW, subs. (Old Cant). i. 'A 
Begger's Wooden Dish or Cup' 
(B. E. and GROSE). 

1641. BROME, Jovial Crew, ii. This 
is Bien Bowse . . . Too little is my SKEW. 

1754. Song [Scoundrels' Diet.]. To 
thy Bugher and thy SKEW, Filch and 
Jybes, I bid adieu. 

2. (Harrow). An entrance 
examination at the end of term : 
that at the commencement is the 
'dab,' after which there is no 
further chance ; a shaky candi- 
date tries the dab first. As -verb. 
= to turn back, to fail. 

SKEWER, subs. (American). i. A 
sword. Hence, as verb. ( i ) to 
run through ; and (2) to impose 
on. 

1848. DURIVAGE, Stray Subjects, 
147. Our enterprising journal, which had 
purchased the news, in company with its 
sharp friends, had been SKEWERED. 

2. (common). A pen. Fr. 
une griffarde (or griffonante). 



Skew-fisted. 



225 



Skilt. 



SKEW- FISTED, adj. phr. (old). 
* Awkward, ungainly' (B. E.). 

SKEW-GEE, subs, (colloquial). A 
squint :'as adj. crooked, skew'd, 
squinting. 

SKEWGY-MEWGY, subs. phr. (nau- 
tical). See quot. 

1886. St. James's Gaz., 7 Ap. The 
skipper rejoices in a steady drizzling rain, 
which keeps a certain caustic composition, 
known to yachtsmen by the mysterious 
name of SKEWGY-MEWGY, damp and active 
under the scrubbing-brushes and holy- 
stones of her crew. 

SKEWING, szibs. (gilders). In pi. 

= perquisites ; MAKINGS (q.v.*). 
[Properly SKEW (gilders') = to 
remove superfluous gold leaf, and 
to make good defects.] Analogous 
terms are CABBAGE (tailors') ; 
BLUE-PIGEON (plumbers') ; MEN- 
AVELINGS (beggars') ; FLUFF 
(railway clerks') ; PUDDING, or 
JAM (common). 

SKEW-THE-DEW, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). A splay-footed person ; a 
BUMBLE-FOOT (q.V.). 

SKEWVOW, adj. (old). ' Crooked, 
inclining to one side' (GROSE) : 

also ALL ASKEW. 

SKID (or SKIV), subs, (common). 
A sovereign : see RHINO. 

2. (American). A volunteer; 
a militiaman. 

To PUT ON THE SKID, verb, 
phr. (colloquial). To speak or 
act with caution. 

1885. Punchy 31 Jan., 60. I could 
pitch you a yarn on that text ; but I fear I 

must PUT ON THE SKID. 

SKIFF, subs, (common). A leg [?]. 

1891. M. Advertiser, 6 Ap. Now, 
i6s. sd. wanted a lot of earning, more 
especially when a man had to drive an 
"old crock" with "skinny SKIFFS." 



None of them could deny that the " S.T." 
cabs were horsed by very old racehorses, 
bad platers, and what were termed "chin 
backed horses." 

SKIFFLE, suds, (common). A great 
hurry : cf. SCUFFLE. 

SKILL, subs, (football). A goal 
kicked between posts. 

SKILLET, subs, (nautical). A ship's 
cook. 

SKILLINGERS (THE), subs, (mili- 
tary). The 6th (Inniskilling) 
Dragoons: also "The Old 
Inniskillings." 

SKILLY (or SKILLIGOLEE), subs. 
(formerly nautical and prison : 
now common). I. A thin broth 
or soup of oatmeal and water. 
Hence (2) anything of little or 
no value. SKILLY AND TOKE = 
prison fare. 

1846. MARRY AT, Peter Simple, xi. 
I am not worth a SKILLAGOLEE, and that 
is the reason which induces me to con- 
descend to serve his Majesty. 

1857. SNOWDEN, Magistrate's Assis- 
tant ( 3 rd Ed,), 446, s.v. SKILLY. The 
broth in prisons. 

1870. Chambers' s Miscellany, No. 77, 
6. Burgoo, or as it was sportively called, 
SKILLAGALLEE, was oatmeal boiled in 
water to the consistency of hasty pudding. 

1871. Figaro, 7 Oct. They chris- 
tened the latter " Cardwell's SKILLY," and 
a course of it would soon turn our Life 
Guards into the lightest of cavalry. 

1883. D. Telegraph, 19 May, 5, 4. 
England did not wish her to eat SKILLY, 
and to wear the " parish dress." 

1889. Sportsman, 2 Jan. The worthy 
ones who play hole-and-corner with society 
are made to partake of the toke of contri- 
tion, and the SKILLY of repentance. 

1902. DESART, Herne Lodge Myst., 
xvi. The thought of SKILLY ... I had 
very vague ideas . . . came into my mind. 

SKILT, subs, (common). In //. = 
trousers : see KICKS. 



Skim. 



226 



Skin. 



SKIM, subs, (thieves'). See quot. 

1869. Daily News, 29 July, ' Police 
Reports.' They thought it contained his 
SKIM (money). They took down the bag 
without wakening him, and found that, 
instead of SKIM, the parcel contained two 
revolvers. 

SKIMBLE-SKAMBLE, subs., adj., 
and adv. (old colloquial). Rig- 
marole, nonsense ; wandering, 
confused ; incoherently. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, i Hen. IV., iii. 
i, 154. Such a deal of SKIMBLE-SKAMBLE 
stuff. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works, Desc. of a 
Wanton. Here's a sweet deal of SCIMBLE- 
SCAMBLE stuff. 

SKIMMERY, subs. (Oxford Univ.). 
St. Mary's Hall. 

1853. BRADLEY, Verdant Green, viii. 
I swopped the beggar to a SKIMMERYMAN. 

1860. G. and P. WHARTON, Wits 
and Beaux of Society, 427. After leaving 
Westminster School he was sent to immor- 
tal SKIMMERY, Oxford. 

SKIMMINGTON, subs. (old). i. See 
quots : also TO RIDE THE SKIM- 
MINGTON (or [Scots'] THE 
STANG). [For a long description 
see BUTLER, Hudibras, n. ii. 
585.] Hence (2) a row, a quarrel. 

1562. Stowe's London [STRYPE], B. 
ii, 258. Shrove Monday at Charing Cross 
was a man carried of four men, and before 
him a bagpipe playing, a shawm, and a 
drum beating, and twenty men with links 
burning round about him. The cause was 
his next neighbour's wife beat her husband ; 
it being so ordered that the next should 
ride about to expose her. 

1685. OLDHAM, Satyrs. When I'm 
in pomp on high processions shown, Like 
pageants of lord may'r, or SKIMMINGTON. 

1753. WALPOLE, Letters, i. 289. 
There was danger of a SKIMMINGTON 
between the great wig and the coif, the 
former having given a flat lie to the latter. 

1785. GROSS, Vulgar Tongue, s.v. 
RIDING"SKIMMINGTON. A ludicrous caval- 
cade, in ridicule of a man beaten by his 
wife. A man behind a woman, face to 
horse's tail, distaff in hand, which he 



seems to work, the woman beating him 
with a ladle ; a smock on a staff is carried 
before them denoting female superiority. 
They are accompanied by rough music, 
frying pans, bull's horns, marrowbones and 
cleavers, &c. Abridged. 

1822. SCOTT, Fortunes of Nigel, xxi. 
Note. The SKIMMINGTON has been long 
discontinued in England. 

1865. Exeter Police Report, 9 Sep t 
Summary justice had been done by a 
SKIMMINGTON MATCH [sic], on two married 
persons, whose ill and faithless example 
had scandalised the neighbourhood. 

SKIMP, verb, (colloquial). To 
stint; TO SCAMP (q.v.). As adj. 
= insufficient, meagre ; SKIMPING 
(or SKI MPY)= scanty, carelessly 
made, slightingly treated. 

1864. Sun, 28 Dec., Review Hotten's 
Slang Diet. Mr. Hotten has made no 
mention of a dress that is describable as 

SKIMPY. 

1879. BREWER, Eng. Studies, 444. 
The work was not SKIMPING work by any 
means. 

1885. CRADDOCK, Proph. Gt. Smoky 
Mountains, iv. Grey hair drawn into a 
SKIMPY knot at the back of the head. 

1888. EGGLESTON, Graysons, xix. 
The woman who has . . . schemed and 
SKIMPED to achieve her attire knows the 
real pleasure and victory of self-adornment. 

SKIMSHANDER. See SCRIMSHAW. 

SKIN, subs. (old). i. A purse; a 
pocket-book ; any receptacle for 
money. Thus A QUEER SKIN = 
an empty purse ; FRISK THE 
SKIN = 'clean him out' (GROSE 
and VAUX). 

1821. HAGGART, Life, 15. ^ Young 
McGuire had taken some SKINS with a few 
shillings in each. 

1852. JUDSON, Myst. of New York, 
vii. The offisare ave frisk me ; he ave not 
found ze SKIN or ze dummy, eh? 

1856. MAYHEW, Gt. World of Lon- 
don, iii. The London buzman can keep 
his pony by abstracting SKINS from gentle- 
men's pockets. 

2. (old). A sovereign ; 2O/- : 
see RHINO. 



Skin. 



227 



Skin. 



3. (old). In //. = a tanner 
(GROSE). 

4. (American). See SKINNER. 

5. (American). A translation ; 
a CRIB (q.v.) ; a BOHN (q.v.). 
Also as z/<?r. = to copy a solution ; 
and SKINNER = one using an 
irregular aid to study. 

1851. BRISTED, Five Years, 394. 
Barefaced copying from books and reviews 
in their compositions is familiar to our 
students, as much so as SKINNING their 
mathematical examples. Ibid., 457. 
Classical men were continually tempted TO 
SKIN the solution of these examples. 

1855. Yak College Songs. 'Twas 
plenty of SKIN with a good deal of bohn. 

18 [t]. Yale Lit. Mag. [BARTLETT]. 
Never SKIN a lesson which it requires any 
ability to learn. 

1856. HALL, College Words and 
Customs, 430. In examinations . . . many 
. . . cover the palms . . . with dates, and 
when called upon for a given date they 
read it off ... from their hands. Such 
persons SKIN. 

i8[?]. TRUMBULL, Story of the 
Sheepskin [BARTLETT]. But now that 
last Biennial's past ; I SKINNED and fizzled 
through. 

6. (American). Punch made 
in the glass : as a WHISKEY-SKIN, 
a RUM-SKIN, &c. 

1871. HAY, Little Breeches. Says 
he, 'Young man, the Phins, know their 

OWn WHISKEY-SKINS." 

7. (common). See SKINFLINT. 

Verb (old colloquial). I. To 
rob ; to strip ; to CLEAN OUT 
(q.v.)'. spec, (racing) to win all 
one's bets ; (bookmakers') SKIN 

THE LAMB (or HAVE A SKINNER) 

= to win with an unbacked horse ; 
(2) = to swindle ; and (3) = TO 
TAKE TOLL (q.V.). Hence SKIN- 
GAME (e.g., SKIN-FARO : see quot. 
1882)= a swindle : SKIN-HOUSE 
= a gambling den ; SKINNER = 



(i) a sharping cheat, a thief : spec. 
(American) a looter infesting both 
camps ; (2) a pirate ; and (3) a 
race, which being won by a rank 
outsider, SKINS the ring. 

1821. COOPER, Spy, i. This poor 
opinion of the SKINNERS was not confined 
to Mr. Caesar Thompson. 

1836. MILNER, Turpiris Ride to 
York, ii. 5. Sam. PEEL MY SKIN and 
dub up the browns ! What do you mean ? 
Bal. Just this that if you do not hand 
over your money I shall blow out your 
brains ! 

1855. IRVING, Wolferfs Roost, 17. 
The SKINNERS and Cowboys of the Revo- 
lution, when they wrung the neck of a 
rooster, did not trouble . . . whether they 
crowed for Congress or King George. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, London Labour, 
n. 81. Perhaps begets SKINNED . . . and 
sells them for what he can. 

1869. BRADWOOD, O.V.H., xix. And 
a carefully roped and bottled animal, that 
dropped like a meteor upon the racing 
public for the Chester Cup, SKINNED THE 
LAMB for Mr. Bacon, landed every bet 
standing in his book. 

1882. McCABE, New York, xxxix. 
545. SKIN-FARO the only game played 
here, offers no chance whatever to the 
player. In SKIN-FARO the dealer can take 
two cards from the box instead of one 
whenever he chooses to do so. 

1883. Sat. Review, 28^ April, 533, 2. 
His victory proved a gold mine to the pro- 
fessional bookmakers, many of whom did 
not bet against the horse at all, thus per- 
forming the profitable operation technically 
known in the betting-ring as SKINNING 

THE LAMB. 

1883. Graphic, 21 April, 410, 2. The 
Ring are enormous winners on the race, 
the majority having SKINNED THE LAMB. 

1883. GREENWOOD, In Strange 
Company. Amongst themselves they are 
SKINNERS, knock-outs, odd-trick men, and 
they \york together in what . . . their 
profession calls a "swim." 

1884. Referee, 10 August, i, i. The 
winner being found in Quilt, who had 
sufficient support to leave the result any- 
thing but a SKINNER for the bookmakers. 
Ibid. (1889), 2 June. They had made a 



Skin. 



228 



Skin. 



little overtime at an inn near the station, 
and, by way of grace after meat, gone 
over the landlord, left him SKINNED, and 
the furniture smashed. 

1890. Atlantic Monthly, Ixvi. 511. 
There were two sets of these scapegraces 
the 'Cow-boys,' or cattle thieves, and the 
SKINNERS, who took everything they could 
find. 

1891. M. Advtr., 21 Mar. The 
prisoner was entrusted with two tons of 
coal to deliver. Sergeant Hiscock, of the 
V division, watched his movements, and 
saw him SKINNING the sacks that is, 
removing lumps from the tops and placing 
them in an empty sack. 

1896. LILLARD, Poker Stories, 51. 
Southern planters used to lose money just 
like fun, and were SKINNED right and left. 

1902. D. Mail, 17 Nov., 6, i. What 
they shudderingly designate a SKINNER 
was enjoyed by a majority of the layers 
when old Fairyfield credited Mr. George 
Edwardes with the Belper Selling Plate. 

2. (thieves'). To SHADOW 
(^.z>.): spec, when previous to 
arrest. See NARK. 

3. (common). To strip, TO 
PEEL (q.v.) ; and (venery), to re- 
tire the prepuce, TO SKIN THE 

LIVE RABBIT. Whence SKINNER 

(see quot. 1856). 

1856. MAYHEW, Gt. World of Lon- 
don, 46. SKINNERS, or women and boys 
who strip children of their clothes. 

1861. DICKENS, Great Expectations, 
xxxi. SKIN the stockings off ... or 
you'll bust 'em. 

1896. LILLARD, Poker Stories, 59. 1 
have seen a game player just SKIN OFF 
his watch and ring and studs and play 
them in. 

4. (gaming). To PLANT A 
DECK (q.v.)'. see CONCAVE, 
BROADS, and REFLECTOR. 

5. (common). To abate a 
price ; to lower a value : cf. 

SHAVING THE LADIES (s.V. 

SHAVE). 

6. (common). To thrash : 

also TO SKIN ALIVE. 



1888. Detroit Free Press, 22 Dec. 
' If yer don't stop your guzzum I'll SKIN 
YER ALIVE'. . . She flourished a skillet at 
him. 

1895. Idler, Aug., 63. I'm sure that 
her parents would SKIN her, If they 
thought that she smiled on my suit. 

1902. HEADON HILL, Caged, xxxiv. 
I'd have SKINNED the 'ussy if I'd caught 
her prying into my grounds. 

OTHER COLLOQUIALISMS AND 
PHRASES. BY THE SKIN OF 
ONE'S TEETH = a narrow escape, 
the closest of close shaves ; TO 
SKIN OUT = to decamp ; TO SKIN 
THE CAT (gymnasts') = to grasp 
the bar with both hands, raise the 
feet, and so draw the body, 
between the arms, over the bar ; 

LIKE EELS, USED TO SKINNING 

= of good heart ; TO SKIN THE 
EYES (see KEEP) ; ALL SKIN 
AND WHIPCORD = well-trussed ; 
in good condition ; IN (or WITH) 
A WHOLE SKIN = uninjured, with 
impunity; TO SAVE ONE'S SKIN 
= to escape unhurt : see BACON ; 

TO SKIN A FLINT (see SKIN- 
FLINT) ; honest as the SKIN 
BETWEEN HIS BROWS (or HORNS) : 

see BROW ; TO SKIN A RAZOR = 
to drive a hard-and-fast bargain ; 
TO SKIN ONE'S SKUNK = to do 
one's own dirty work ; IN A BAD 
SKIN = angry (GROSE) ; CLEAN- 
SKIN ( Australian ) = an unbranded 
beast ; <f. MAVERICK ; TO LEAP 
(or JUMP) OUT OF ONE'S SKIN = 
to be startled or pleased ; IN HER 
or HIS) SKIN = evasive as to a 
person's whereabouts. 

i6[?]. Marq. of Huntley's Retreat 
[CHILD, Ballads, vii. 271]. He had re- 
solved that day To sleep IN A WHOLE 
SKIN. 

1605. MARSTON, Dutch Courtezan, 
iii. i. Blesse me, I was never so OUT OF 
MY SKINNE in my life. 

1611. Bible, 'Authorised Version,' 
Job xix. 20. I am escaped WITH THE 

SKIN OF MY TEETH. 



Skin. 



229 



Skinflint. 



1616-25. Court and Times fas. I. 
OLIPHANT, New Eng., ii. 71. Amongst 
Romance words are SAVE HIS SKIN, re- 
freshed with money . . .] 

1664. COTTON, Virgil Travestie (tst 
ed.), 72. /Eneas, was so glad on's kin, 
He ready was T'LEAP OUT ON'S SKIN. 

^.1704. L'EsTRANGE, Works [Cen- 
tury]. Dangerous civilities, wherein 'tis 
hard for a man to SAVE both HIS SKIN and 
his credit. 

1708. CENTLIVRE, Busy-Body, v. i. 
Confirm it ! Make me LEAP OUT OF MY 
SKIN. 

1708-10. SWIFT, Polite Conversation, 
i. Col. Pray, Miss, where is your old 
Acquaintance, Mrs. Wayward. Miss. 
Why, where should she be? You must 
needs know ; she's IN HER SKIN. 

1798. G. COLMAN (the younger), Blue 
Devils, i. i. Made me JUMP OUT OF MY 
SKIN with joy. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 26. At these words I was ready 

tO JUMP OUT OF MY SKIN for joy. 

1836. SCOTT, Tom Cringle's Log, i. 
Who says that EELS CAN not BE MADE USED 
TO SKINNING ? The poor girls continued 
their preparations with an alacrity and 
presence of mind that truly surprised me. 
There was neither screaming nor fainting. 

1841. THACKERAY, Snobs, xii. I 
should be ready to JUMP OUT OF MY SKIN 
if two Dukes would walk down Pall Mall 
with me. 

1877. BESANT and RICE, Golden 
Butterfly, xxxiii. You jest gather up 
your traps and SKIN OUT of this. 

1882. GRANT, Bush Life, i. 206. 
These CLEAN SKINS ... are supposed to 
belong to the cattle owner, on whose run 
they emerge from their shelter. 

1888. Phil. Ey. Bulletin, 23 Feb. 
Another Presidential candidate who is 
abroad, it will be remembered, utilized a 
pole daily for SKINNING THE CAT. 

1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery Under 
Arms, xx. Brought out a horse the 
same I'd ridden from Gippsland, saddled 
and bridled, and ready to JUMP OUT OF 

HIS SKIN. 

1891. GOULD, Double Event, 101. 
The horse was regularly worked, and he 
looked in splendid health and condition, 

FIT TO JUMP OUT OF HIS SKIN, tO USC a 

racing term. 



1896. SALA, London up to Date, 66. 
At the election I had no less than seven- 
teen black balls ; but ... I got in by the 

SKIN OF MY TEETH. 



SKIN -COAT, subs. phr. (venery). 
The female pudendum: see 
MONOSYLLABLE. Hence SHAK- 
ING A SKIN-COAX = copulating. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, 11. xvii. 
And by God, I will have their SKINCOAT 
SHAKEN once yet before they die. 

To CURRY ONE'S SKINCOAT, 
verb. phr. (old). To thrash. 

SKIN-DISEASE, 57/fo. /^.(common). 
Fourpenny ale. 

SKINFLINT (or SKIN), subs. (old). 
' A griping, sharping, close- 
fisted Fellow' (B. E., .1696, 
and GROSE). As verb, (or TO 

SKIN, or FLAY, A FLINT, FLY, 

STONE, &c.) = to pinch, to screw, 
to starve : cf. (proverbial) ' to 
skin a flea, and bleed a cabbage ' ; 
SKINNY = mean, stingy; THE 
SKINFLINTERIES = The Museum 
of Economic [now Practical] Geo- 
logy, Jermyn St., W. See FILE, 
FLAY, FLEA, and FLINT for 
additional quots. 

1761. MURPHY, Citizen, ii. An old 
miserly good-for-nothing SKIN-FLINT. 

1789. PARKER, Life's Painter, ' The 
Masqueraders.' The miser, that SKIN- 
FLINT old elf. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 212. The SKINFLINT would not 
trust me for six ells of cloth. 

1816. SCOTT, Antiquary, xi. It 
would have been long . . . ere my woman- 
kind could have made such a reasonable 
bargain with that old SKINFLINT. Ibid. 
Fortunes of Nigel, xxxi. ' Plague on ye,' 
he muttered, 'for a cunning auld SKIN- 
FLINT ! ' 

1833. MARRY AT, Peter Simple (1846), 
n. 194. Report says she would SKIN A 
FLINT if she could. 



Skinful. 



230 



Skink. 



1868. Putnam's Mag., Jan. Old 
miser Dyser, SKIN a fly, Sir, Sell the skin 
and turn the money in. 

1869. BYRON, Not such a Fool as He 
Looks [FRENCH], 12. Sharp old SKIN- 
FLINT, downy old robber as he is. 

1884. Century Mag., xxxix. 227. He 
would refer to ... his former employer as 
that SKIN. 

1889. D. Tel., ii May. It was sug- 
gested that the obstructive vehicles should 
stop in front of the Museum of Economic 
[sic] Geology popularly known as THE 
SKINFLINTERIES. 

1890. Lancet, n. 246. As a rule the 
whole of the men in a factory would con- 
tribute, and SKINNY ones were not let off 
easily. 

1898. HUME, Hagar, i. He was 
... so avaricious that throughout the 
neighbourhood he was called SKINFLINT. 

1900. SAVAGE, Brought to Bay, vi. 
This old SKINFLINT is such a character 
that you should keep all the working re- 
sults sealed, till he certifies his own. 



SKINFUL, subs, (common). A 
bellyful liquor or food. 

1600. KEMP, Dance to Norwich 
[ARBER, Eng. Garner, vii.]. [OLIPHANT, 
New Eng. , ii. 52. A man takes a jump ; 
he may have his SKINFULL of drink. ] 

1640-50. HOWELL, Letters, iii. 5. 
[Howell calls his body A SKINFULL OF 

BONES.] 

1773. GOLDSMITH, She Stoops to 
Conquer, . . . I'll wager the rascals a 
crown, They always preach best with a 

SKINFUL. 

1868. W. S. GILBERT, Bab Ballads, 
' Sir Macklin." He wept to think each 
thoughtless youth Contained of wickedness 

a SKINFUL. 

1888. RUNCIMAN, Chequers, 85. 
They were reasonably anxious to secure a 
SKINFUL, and they feared lest my powers 
might prove abnormal. 

1897. D. Mail, 25 Sep., 7, 3. The 
elastic skin man comes over here for the 
first time, and the Custom House authori- 
ties will need to look out that he is not 
employed for smuggling purposes he has 
certainly been known many a time to have 

his SKINFUL. 



SKINK, verb. (old). Primarily to 
draw, serve, or offer drink. 
Whence as sul>s.= drink or LAP 
(q.v.); and SKINKER=(I) a tap- 
ster, or waiter (B. E.); (2) a 
landlord, and (3) see quots. 1785 
and 1847. 

1205. LAYAMON [MADDEN], 8124. 
Weoren tha bernes [men], I-SC<ENGTE mid 
beore, & tha drihliche gumen, weoren win- 
drunken. 

1383. CHAUCER, Cant. Tales, ' Mer- 
chant's Tale,' 478. Bacus the wyn hem 
SKYNKETH al aboute. 

1582-7. HAKLUYT, Voyages, i. 480. 
For that cause called this new city by the 
name of Naloi : that is SKINCK or poure in. 

1594. GREEN and LODGE, Looking 
Glass Jor London and England. I'll 
have them SKINK my standing bowls with 
wine. Ibid. Jack SKINKER, fill it full. 

1600. HAUGHTON, Grim the Collier 
[DODSLEY, Old Plays (REED), xi. 222]. I 
must be SKINKER then . . . They all shall 
want ere Robin shall have none. 

1601. JONSON, Poetaster, iv. 3. Alb. 
I'll ply the table with nectar, and make 
them friends. Her. Heaven is like to have 
but a lame SKINKER, then. Ibid. (1614), 
Bartholomew Fair., ii. Then SKINK out 
the first glass ever, and drink with all 
companies. Ibid. (d. 1637), Verses at Apollo, 
vii. 295. Hang up all the poor hop-drinkers, 
Cries old Sym, the King of SKINKERS. 

1606. MARSTON, Sophon, v. 2. Let 
me not drink 'Till my breast burst, O 
Jove, thy NECTAR SKINKE. 

1609. DEKKER, Gull's Hornbook, 26. 
Awake thou noblest drunkard Bacchus 
teach me, thou sovereign SKINKER. 

1617. FLETCHER, Knight of ^Malta, 
iii. i. Our glass of life runs wine, the 
vintner SKINKS it. 

.1650. BRATHWAYTE, Barnaby's Jo. 
(1723), 57. There I toss'd it with my 
SKINKERS, Not a drop of Wit remained 
Which the Bottle had not drained. 

1652. SHIRLEY, Impost., AS, 57. 
Such wine as Ganymede doth SKINKE to 
Jove. 

1785. GROSE, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. 
SKINK ... to wait on the company, ring 
the bell, stir the fire, and snuff the candles ; 
the duty of the youngest officer in the 
military mess. 



Skin-merchant. 



231 



Skip. 



1818. SCOTT, Rob Roy, iv. I give 
my vote and interest to Jonathan Brown, 
our landlord, to be the King and Prince of 
SKINKERS, conditionally that he fetches us 
another bottle as good as the last. 

1831. LAMB, Satan in Search o/ a 
Wife, ii. xxvii. No Hebe fair stood cup- 
bearer there, The guests were their own 

SKINKERS. 

1847. HALLIWELL, Arch. Words, 
s.v. SKINK. In a family the person latest 
at breakfast is called the SKINK, or the 
SKINKER, and some domestic office is im- 
posed or threatened for the day, such as 
ringing the bell, putting coal on the fire, 
or in other cases, drawing the beer for the 
family. 

1852. HAWTHORNE, Blithedale Ro- 
mance, 245. Some old-fashioned SKINKERS 
and drawers were spreading a banquet on 
the leaf-strewn earth. 

SKIN-MERCHANT, subs. phr. (old). 
A recruiting officer. 

1783. BURGOYNE, Lordof the Manor, 
iii. 2. I am a manufacturer of honour and 
glory vulgarly call'd a recruiting dealer, 
or more vulgarly still, a SKIN-MERCHANT. 

SKIN NED- RABBIT, subs. phr. (col- 
loquial). A very spare person. 

SKINNER, i. See SKIN. 

2. (sporting). A bird fat 
enough to burst its skin when 
shot. 

SKIN - OF -THE- CREATURE (or 
CRATER), subs. phr. (Irish). A 
bottle : see CREATURE. 

SKIN -THE- LAMB, subs. phr. (old). 
Lansquenet : see also SKIN, 
verb. I. 

SKIN - THE- FIZZLE, subs. phr. 
(venery). The female pudendum: 
see MONOSYLLABLE. 

SKINTIGHT, subs, (common). A 
sausage. 

SKINTLING, adv. (American). See 
quot. 



i8[?]. Science [Century}. [The bricks] 
are carried in wheelbarrows, and set 
SKINTLING, or at right angles across each 
other. 

SKIP, subs, (old). i. A footman; 
a GRASSHOPPER (q.v.}. Whence 
spec. 2 (Trin. Coll., Dublin), a 
college servant : cf. GYP and 

SCOUT. Also SKIPKENNEL (B. 

E. and GROSE). 

1672. A. BROME, Covent Garden 
Drollery. The prizes they took were a 
Londoner's groat, A gentleman's she, but 
his SKIPKENNEL'S pot. 

1703. WARD, London Spy, vn. 151. 
As a Courtier's Footman when he meets 
his Brother SKIP in the middle of Covent 
Garden. 

^.1704. BROWN, Works, ii. 120. Pluto's 
SKIPKENJJELS are not so insolent as yours 
are. 

1721. AMHURST, Terra Fillius. No. 
Z. Every scullion and SKIPKENNEL had 
liberty to tell his master his own. 

1729. SWIFT, Directions to Servants, 
' Footman.' My lady's waiting- woman 
. . . apt to call you SKIP-KENNEL. 

1839. LEVER, Harry Lorrequer, xi. 
Conducting himself in all respects ... as 
his . . . own man, SKIP, valet, or flunkey. 

1842. Tait's Mag., Oct., ' Rem. 
College Life.' The SKIP, or according to 
the Oxford etymology, 'the man vulture,' 
is not fit for his calling who cannot time 
his business so as to be present simul- 
taneously at several places. 

1845. THACKERAY, Pendennis, xx. 
His wounded tutor, his many duns, the 
SKIP and bedmaker who waited on him. 

Verb, (common). i. To de- 
camp : see BUNK. Also TO SKIP 
OUT (or OFF), and TO DO A SKIP. 

1872. CLEMENS, Roughing It, ix. 
The Indian had SKIPPED around so's to 
spile everything. 

1888. Detroit Free Press, 19 Dec. 
I knew he was getting ready to SKIP OUT 
OF town the moment he saw the jig was up. 

1889. Ally Sloper, 29 June. This 
base myrmidon of the law endeavoured to 
execute his task just as Andrew was about 
to lead a second bouncing bride to the 
altar. But Andrew espied him and quietly 
SKIPPED. 



Skip-brain. 



232 



Skipper. 



1892. KIPLING, Barrack-Room Bal- 
lads, ' Gunga Din.' With 'is mussick on 
'is back, 'E would SKIP with our attack. 

1895. POCOCK, Rules of the Game, 
II. 10. If I had known of this warrant, I'd 
have gone on my knees and implored him 
for your dear sake not to SKIP the train. 

2. (common). To die : see 
HOP THE TWIG. 

1900. SAVAGE, Brought to Bay, xv. 
The dark pool of blood . . . told its awful 
story . . . SKIPPED OUT . . . game to the 
last, and never flinched. 

3. (common). To read hastily, 
picking out passages here and 
there. Hence 4 (University), to 
shirk work. Also SKIPPER = a 
hasty reader ; and SKIPPABLE= 
easily and quickly read. 

1884. Pall Mall Gaz., 2% Feb. Two 
classes of readers, however, may get not a 
little that is interesting out of this book 
the pachydermatous plodder and the 
judicious SKIPPER. 

SKIP-BRAIN, adj. (old). Flighty; 
volatile ; fickle. 

1603. DAVIES, Microcosmus, 30. This 
SKIPP-BRAINE Fancie. 

SKIPJACK, subs, (old). i. A horse- 
dealer's jockey (B. E. and GROSE). 

1568. FULWEL, Like will to Like 
[OLIPHANT, New Eng., i. 565. Here we 
see knave of clubs, SKIPJACK, snip-snap]. 

1608-9. DEKKER, Lanthorne and 
Candlelight, x. The boyes, striplings, 
&c., that have the riding of the jades up 
and downe are called SKIP-JACKES. 

2. A nobody; a trifler : also 
SKIPPER. 

1580. SIDNEY, Arcadia, in. Now 
the devil, said she, take these villains, that 
can never leave grinning, because I am 
not so fair as mistress Mopsa ; to see how 
this SKIP- JACK looks at me. 

^.1592. GREENE, Atyhonsus, i. What, 
know'st thou, SKIP-JACK, whom thou 
villain call'st. 

1593. SHAKSPEARE, Taming oj 
Shrew, ii. t, 341. SKIPPER, stand back ; 
'tis age that nourisheth. 



1611. COTGRAVE, Nimbot. A dwarfe, 
dandiprat, little SKIP-JACKE. 

1670. COTTON, Scoffer Scoftt [Works 
. !5 ), 190]. P- -" "--- ' -" 
SKIPJACK got. 



(1725), 190]. But till thou hadst this 
>-J; 



SKIPPER, subs. (Old Cant). i. A 
barn (AWDELEY, HARMAN, ROW- 
LANDS, HEAD, B. E., and 
GROSE). Whence as verb, (or TO 
SKIPPER IT) = to sleep in the 
straw or in HEDGE SQUARE 
(q.v.)', SKIPPER-BIRD = a barn- 
rooster or hedge-tramp. 

1652. BROOME, Jovial Crew, ii. Now 
let each tripper Make a retreat into the 



1851-61. MAYHEW, London Lab.,\\. 
83. When I get down I go to sleep for a 
couple of hours. I SKIPPER IT turn in 
under a hedge or anywhere. Ibid., i. 336. 
Here is the best places in England for 
SKIPPER-BIRDS (parties that never go to 
lodging-houses, but to barns or outhouses, 
sometimes without a blanket) . . . ' Key- 
hole whistlers,' the SKIPPER-BIRDS are 
sometimes called. 

2. (common). The Devil. For 
SYNONYMS see BLACK SPY. 

3. (B. E. and GROSE : still 
colloquial). ' A Dutch Master 
of a Ship or Vessell ' ; in modern 
use any ship's captain ; and (4) a 
leader or chief in any enterprise, 
adventure, or business. Hence 
5. (general) a master, BOSS (^.z>.)> 
GOVERNOR (q.V.). 

1485-1500. GARDNER, Letters of 
Rich. HI. and Hen. VII. [OLIPHANT, 
New Eng., \. 352. There is the SKIPPAR 
of a ship, and the Northern form raid}. 
Ibid. 341 (1509). [James IV. speaks of a 
crew as including] Master, 2 factours, 
SKIPPAR, sterisman. 

1600. DECKER, Show. Holiday [GRO- 
SART, Wks. (1873), i. 30]. Do you remem- 
ber the shippe my fellow Hans told you of, 
the SKIPPER and he are both drinking at 
the Swan ? 

1636. SUCKLING, Goblins, iv. With 
as much ease as a SKIPPER Would laver 
against the wind. 



Skippers-daughter. 233 



Skit. 



1699. CONGREVE, Way of the World, 
iii. 15. Mrs. Mar. No doubt you will 
return very much improv'd. Witw. Yes, 
refined like a Dutch SKIPPER from a whale 
fishing. 

1710. GAY, Wine [Wks. (1811X351]. 
Chase brutal feuds of Belgian SKIPPERS 
hence. 

1751. SMOLLETT, Per. Pickle, xxxiv. 
By the SKIPPER'S advice the servants 
[carried] wine and provision on board. 

1854. WHVTE MELVILLE, General 
Bounce, iv. The young SKIPPER exultingly 
stamped his foot on a deck he could really 
call his own. 

a?. 1 882. LONGFELLOW, Wreck of Hes- 
perus. And the SKIPPER had taken his 
little daughter To bear him company. 

6. (American). The cheese- 
hopper : hence SKIPPERY = full 
of mites. 

1856. Dow, Sermons, n. 258. The 
earth appears as animated as a plate of 
SKIPPERY cheese. 

See SKIP and SKIPJACK. 

SKIPPER'S-DAUGHTER, subs. phr. 
(common). A crested wave ; a 
WHITE-CAP (or HORSE). 

<s?.i894. STEVENSON, Education of an 
Engineer. The swell ran pretty high, 
and out in the open there were SKIPPER'S 

DAUGHTERS. 



SKIPPING, adj. (SHAKESPEARE). 
Light, giddy, volatile. 

1594. SHAKSPEARE, Love's Laboar 
Lost, v. 2, 771. All wanton as a child, 
SKIPPING and vain. Ibid. (1598), Merchant 
of Venice, ii. 2, 196. Allay with some 
cold drops of modesty Thy SKIPPING 
spirit. Ibid. (1602), Twelfth Night, \. 5. 
'Tis not that time of moon with me to 
make one in so SKIPPING a dialogue. 

SKIRRY, subs. (old). A run: also 
as verb. to scurry (PARKER, 
1781). 

1821. HAGGART, Life, 36. He went 
into an entry as I SKIRRY'D past him. 
Ibid., 37. The SKIRRY became general. 



SKIRT, subs, (common). In //. = 
women (generic). Hence (venery) 
TO SKIRT (or FLUTTER A SKIRT) 
= to walk the streets ; to DO A 
BIT OF SKIRT = to copulate : see 
RIDE and cf. PLACKET, PETTI- 
COAT, MUSLIN, &c. 

1899. HYNE, Fur. Adv. Capt. 
Kettle, xii. If ... you rats of men 
shove your way down here . . . before all 
THE SKIRT is ferried across, you'll get 
knocked on the head, 

To SIT UPON ONE'S SKIRTS, 
verb. phr. (old). To pursue. 

I 5 2 5-37- ELLIS, Original Letters, i. 
iii. She will SIT UPON MY SKYRTES. 

1620. Idle Hours [HALLIWELL]. 
Cross me not, Liza, nether be so perte, For 
if thou dost, I'll SIT UPON THY SKIRTE. 

1650. HOWELL, Familiar Letters. 
Touching the said archbishop, he had not 
stood neutrall as was promised, therefore 
he had justly SET ON HIS SKIRTS. 

SKIRTER, subs, (hunting). i. See 
quot ; whence (2) a hunter who 
does not ride straight to hounds, 
but make short cuts : cf. 
SHIRKER. 

1870. MAINE, Ency. Rural Sports, 
386. A hound that has a habit of running 
wide of the pack is called a SKIRTER. 

^.1875. KINGSLEY, Go Hark! Leave 
cravens and SKIRTERS to dangle behind. 

SKIRT- FOIST, subs. phr. (old). A 
general amorist ; a POACHER 
(q.v.). 

^.1652. WILSON, Inconstant Lady 
[NARES]. I think there is small good in- 
tended, that Emilia did prefer him. I do 
not like that SKIRT-FOIST. 



SKIT, subs. (GROSE). i. A jest, a 
satire : also as verb. (GROSE) = 
'to wheedle.' 

1779. MRS. COWLEY, Who's the 
Dupe ? ii. 2. Come, come, none of your 
tricks upon travellers. I know you mean 
all that as a SKIT upon my edication. 



Skitter-brain. 



234 



Skulker. 



1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xxxii. 
But if he really shot young Hazlewood 
But I canna think it, Mr. Glossin ; this 
will be some o' yonr SKITS* now I conna 
think it o' sae douce a lad ; na, na, this 
is just some o' your auld SKITS ye'll be 
for having a horning or a caption after 
him. [*Tricks.J 

1884. Graphic, 20 Sept., 299, i. 
When will be produced the new Gilbert- 
Sullivan opera, which is reported to be a 
SKIT on "Thought-reading." 

1885. D. News, 28 Sep. Of these 
many are SKITS at the expense of that un- 
failing object of Thackeray's love of 
banter. 

2. subs. (old). A wanton : see 
TART. 

1583. HOWARD, Def, agst. Superst. 
Prophesies, [Herod] at the request of a 
dancing SKIT stroke off the head of St. 
John the Baptist. 

SKITTER-BRAIN (or -WIT), subs. 
(common). A flighty person. 
Also SKITTERBRAINED, &c. 

SKITTING-DEALER, subs. phr. (Old 
Cant). A sham dumby. 

SKITTLES, intj. (common). Non- 



Other COLLOQUIALISMS are 

ALL BEER AND SKITTLES = 

Everything easy or to one's 
liking; ALL UP, AS SKITTLES 
WHEN DOWN = a difficulty, some- 
thing to tackle or do again. 

1864. Orchestra, 12 Nov., 106. 'To 
Correspondents.' Se faire applaudir is 
not " to make onesself applauded," and 
"joyous comedian" is simply SKITTLES. 

1886. KIPLING, Departmental Dit- 
ties, 'Padgate, M.P.' 'Where is your 
heat? ' said he. ' Coming,' said I to Pad- 
gate. 'SKITTLES ! ' said Padgate, M.P. 

1889. Lie. Viet. Gaz., 8 Feb. 
Plunging was NOT ALL BEER AND 
SKITTLES, as the Viscount had playfully 
and elegantly observed when a special pot 
had boiled over. 

1890. Pall Mall Gaz., 4 Nov., 3, i. 
It would present a useful object lesson to 
those who think that the artist's life is ALL 

BEER AND SKITTLES. 



1900. BOOTHBY, Maker of Nations, 
v. SKITTLES it would have been and of 
the most desperate description ... I can 
tell you I was just about played out. 

SKIV (or Sciv), subs, (common). 
A sovereign ; 2O/- : see RHINO. 

1870. London Figaro, 19 Dec. ' A 
Swell on Stalls." I am anxious to pay 
more ; indeed, what do I want with 
change? Assure you I should much 
prefer to pay HALF-A-SKIV, or even a 
'sov." for my seat. 

1887. PAYN, Glow Worm Tales, 246. 
Please to send me the SKIV by return, for 
I sadly want some comfort. 

SKOWBANKER, subs. (Australian). 

A loafer ; a hanger-on : also 

SHOWBANKER. 

SKOWER. See SCOURE. 

SKRIMP (or SKRUMP), verb, (pro- 
vincial). To steal apples. 

SKRIMSHANKER, subs, (military). 

See SCRIMSHANKER and add 
quots. infra. 

1890. Tit- Bits,. 26 Ap., 35, i. Of 
course, besides the dread of being con- 
sidered a SKRIMSHANKER, a soldier dislikes 
the necessary restraints of a hospital. 

1893. KIPLING, Many Inventions, 
' His Private Honour.' If Mulvaney stops 
SCRIMSHANKIN' gets out o' . . . 'orspital 
... I lay your lives will be trouble to you. 

SKRUNT, subs. (Scots'). A prosti- 
tute : see TART. 

SKUE, subs. (old). See quot. 

1598. 



Codurza, the rump or SKUE of a bird. 

SKUG. See SCUG. 

SKULKER, subs. (GROSE) 'A sol- 
dier who . . . evades his duty ; 
a sailor who keeps below in time 
of danger ; one who keeps out of 
the way when work is to be done. 
To SKULK, to hide oneself; to 
avoid labour or duty.' 



Skull 



235 



Sky. 



SKULL, subs. (University). I. The 
head of a college : see GOLGOTHA ; 
whence SKULL-RACE = a univer- 
sity examination. 2. (American) 
= any chief, as the President, the 
head of a business, the captain of 
a vessel, &c. 

MY SKULL'S AFLY,/^. (old). 

AWAKE (g.v.} ; FLY (q.v.) 

SKULL AND CROSSBONES (THE), 

subs. phr. (military). The iyth 
(The Duke of Cambridge's Own) 
Lancers. [The Regimental 
Badge.] Also " The Death or 
Glory Boys " ; " Bingham's Dan- 
dies" ; "The Gentlemen Dra- 
goons"; and "The Horse Ma- 
rines." 

SKULLDUGGERY. See SCULLDUD- 

DERY. 

SKULL-THATCHER, subs. phr. (old). 

i. A straw-bonnet maker ; 
hence (2) a hatter; and (3) a 
wig-maker. SKULL-THATCH = a 
hat or wig. 

1863. BRADDON, Aurora Floyd, xxiv. 
' I'll find my SKULL-THATCHER it I can,' 
said Captain Prodder, groping for his hat 
amongst the brambles and the long grass. 

SKUNGLE, verb. (American). A 
generic verb of action : to decamp, 
to steal a watch, to gobble up 
food, &c. : cf. SKYUGLE. 

SKUNK, subs. (American). I. A 
mean, paltry wretch ; a STINKARD 



1841. The Kinsmen, i. 171. He's a 
SKUNK a bad chap about the heart. 

1876. BRET HARTE, Gabriel Conroy, 
I. i. i. 14. Ain't my husband dead, and 
isn't that SKUNK an entire stranger still 
livin' ? 

1884. Referee, i June, 7, 3. The 
bloodthirsty and cowardly SKUNKS, who 
rob servant girls in America of their money 
in order to blow servant girls in London to 
pieces. 



2. (American). Utter defeat : 
as verb. to disgrace : cf. SLAM. 

1848. DURIVAGE, Stray Subjects, 135. 
In the second hand of the third game, I 
made high, low, game, and SKUNKED him, 
outright again. 

Verb. 2. (American Univ.). 
To neglect to pay. 

SKY (or SKI), subs. (Westminster). 
i. See quot. [An abbreviation 
or corruption of Volsci : the 
Westminster boys being Romans.] 

1867. STANLEY, Westminster Alley, 
453. Conflicts between Westminster 
scholars and the SKYS of London, as the 
outside world was called. 

2. See SKYROCKET. 

Verb, (common). i. To hang, 
throw, or hit high (e.g., a picture 
at the Royal Academy : whence 
THE SKY = the upper rows of ex- 
hibitors ; a ball at cricket : hence 
SKYER, or SKYSCRAPER = a high 
hit). Whence (2) to spend freely 

till all's BLUED (q.V.\ TO SKY 

A COPPER = to spin a coin. 

1802. EDGEWORTH, Irish Bulls. 
' Billy,' says I, ' will you SKY A COPPER.' 

t8[?]. REYNOLDS, The Fancy, Glos- 
sary. Toss for sides the seconds SKY A 
COPPER, before every battle, to decide 
which man shall face the sun. 

1874. COLLINS, Frances, xxvii. The 
ball had been struck high in air, and long- 
field had almost flown into air to meet it, 
catching it as it came down like a thunder- 
bolt with his left hand only, and SKYING it 
at once with triumphant delight. 

1881. JAS. PAYN, Grapes from a 
Thorn, ii. His pictures of the abbey 
having been SKIED in the Academy . . . 
made his humour a little tart that year. 

1884. Sat. Rev., 31 May. The high 
wind made SKYERS difficult to judge. 

1885. SMART, Post to Finish, 134. 
Two or three more slashing hits, and then 
the Rector SKYED one which his opponents 
promptly secured. 

1886-96. MARSHALL, Pomes, 40. 
With the takings safely SKYED. 



Sky-blue. 



236 



Skylark. 



1889. Pall Mall Gaz., 23 Sept., 2, i. 
" Lost ball ! " was cried . . . When, over- 
head, supremely SKIED, I saw that awful 
ball descending. 

1890. Globe, 7 May, 6, i. It was 
SKIED at the Royal Academy last year. 

2. (Harrow). i. To charge, 
or knock down : at football. Also 
(2) to throw away. 

IF THE SKY FALLS WE SHALL 
CATCH LARKS = a retort to a wild 
hypothesis : cf. 'if pigs had wings 
they'd be likely birds to fly.' 

1654. WEBSTER, Appius and Vir- 
ginia [DODSLEY, Old Plays (REED), iv. 

124]. If hap THE SKY-FALL, WE MAY hap 
tO HAVE LARKS. 

SKY-BLUE, subs.phr. (old). i. Gin 
(GROSE). 

1755. Connoisseur, No. 53. Madam 
Gin has been christened by as many names 
as a German princess : every petty 
chandler's shop will sell you SKY-BLUE. 

2. (common). Diluted or 
' separated ' milk. 

1800. BLOOMFIELD, Farmer's Boy. 
And strangers tell of three times skimmed 

SKY-BLUE. 

^.1845. HOOD, Retrospective Review. 
That mild SKY-BLUE, That washed my 
sweet meals down. 

1864. SALA, Quite Alone, xv. Cake 
and wine existed no more in her allure ; 
she was suggestive only of bread and 
scrape and SKY-BLUE. 

SKY-FARMER, subs. phr. (old). 
See quot. : GROSE (1785). 

1754. Disc. John Poulter, 39. SKY- 
FARMERS are People that go about the 
country with a false pass, signed by the 
Church Wardens and Overseers of the 
Parish or Place that they lived in, and 
some Justice of the Peace, but the Names 
are all forged ; in this manner they extort 
money, under pretence of sustaining Loss 
by Fire, or the Distemper amongst the 
horned Cattle. 



SKYGAZER, subs, (nautical). A 
skysail. 



SKY-GODLIN, adv. (American). 
Obliquely ; askew. 

1869. Overland Monthly ; iv. 128. 
He will run SKY-GODLIN. 



SKY-LANTERN, subs. phr. (old). 
The moon : see OLIVER. 

1843. MONCRIEFF, Scamps of Lon- 
don, i. 2. You won't want a light you 
can see by the SKY-LANTERN up above. 

SKYLARK, subs, (common). Ori- 
ginally tricks in the rigging of 
H. M. Navy ; hence any rough- 
and-tumble horseplay. As verb. 
to frolic, to play the fool ; 
SKYLARKING = boisterous merri- 
ment or fooling ; and SKYLARKER 
= a practical joker. 

1829. MARRY AT, Frank Mildmay, 
iv. I had become ... so fond of dis- 
playing my newly acquired gymnastics, 
called by the sailors SKY-LARKING, that my 
speedy exit was often prognosticated. 
Ibid. (1834), Peter Simple (1846), i. 62. 
There was such bawling and threatening, 
laughing and crying ... all squabbling 
or SKYLARKING, and many of them drunk. 

1835. DANA, Before the Mast, xvii. 
We . . . ran her chock up to the yard. 
1 Vast there ! vast ! ' said the mate ; ' none 

of your SKYLARKING ! 

1836. M. SCOTT, Cruise of Midge, 
1 88. Come on deck, man come on deck 
this is no time for SKYLARKING. Ibid. 
(1852), Tom Cringle's Log, iii. ' It's 
that SKY-LARKING son of a gun, Jem 
Sparkle's monkey, sir.' 

_ 1855. C. KINGSLEY, West-ward Ho, 
xviii. Lucky for them . . . they were 

not SKYLARKING. 

1858. New York Courier. 'Elec- 
tion.' There was a considerable amount 
of SKYLARKING carried on from sunset 
until midnight in the halls and passages of 
the building, hats were smashed, and 
members tumbled on the floor. 

1863. KINGSLEY, Austin Elliot, iv. 
When his father wouldn't stand him any 
longer, he used to go out and SKYLARK 
with the clerks. 



Skylarker. 



237 



Skyscraper. 



1871. Morning Advertizer, 2 Feb. 
Give warning of what is going on to *' all 
husbands who SKYLARK around." ^ The 
precise nature of the diversion, indicated 
by SKYLARKING AROUND, is a little foggy ; 
but, taken in conjunction with the con- 
text, it is clearly not inconsistent with 
staying from home until the small hours. 

1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery under 
Arms, xxiv. Talking and SKYLARKING, 
like a lot of boys. 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 7. 
If yer don't find it a 'Oliday SKYLARK, wy, 
never trust 'Arry. 

SKYLARKER, subs, (old thieves'). 
A housebreaker following brick- 
laying as a blind. 

2. See SKYLARK. 

SKYLIGHT, subs, (nautical). The 
eye. 

1836. SCOTT, Tom Cringle' s^ Log, 
iii. After a long look through his star- 
board blinker (his other SKYLIGHT had 
been shut up ever since Aboukir) . . . 

SKY-PARLOUR, subs. phr. (com- 
mon). A garret (GROSE). 

1807-8. IRVING, Salmagundi, No. ii. 
I beg leave to repeat the advice so often 
given by the illustrious tenants of the 
theatrical SKY-PARLOUR to the gentlemen 
who are charged with the " nice conduct " 
of chairs and tables " Make a bow, 
Johnny. Johnny, make a bow." 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, u. v. 
Bob . . . proposed to see the author safe 

to his SKY PARLOUR. 

1836. DICKENS, Sketches by Boz, 
1 First of May. ' Now ladies, up in the 
SKY-PARLOUR ', only once a year, if you 
please. Ibid. (1855), Dorrit, i. viii. She 
has a lodging at the turnkey's. First 
home there . . . SKY PARLOUR. 

1847. RHODES, Bombastes Furioso, 
15. My PARLOUR that's NEXT TO THE 
SKY I'd quit, her blest mansion to share. 

1883. DOBSON, Hogarth, 43. The 
poor verseman, high in his Grub-Street or 
" Porridge-Island " SKY-PARLOUR. 

1891. Herald, 31 May, 3, i. SKY- 
PARLOURS may be very well, but I'm 
certain there is something wrong with my 
friend's " upper story." 



1895. LE QUEUX, Temptress, iii. 
The necessaries of life which she would 
convey to his SKY PARLOUR. 

SKY- PI LOT, subs. phr. (common). A 
clergyman : see BIBLE-POUNDER. 

1889. Sporting Times, 29 June. The 
SKY PILOT, having regard to muttered 
remarks which might be heard emanating 
from the Englishman, gave his professional 
opinion that his service was anything 
divine. 

1895. LE QUEUX, Temptress, ix. 
Have you seen the SKY PILOT? 

SKYROCKET, subs, (rhyming). i. A 
pocket : also SKY. 

1879. J. W. HORSLEY in Macm. 
Mag. , xl. 502. A slavey piped [saw] the 
spoons sticking out of my SKYROCKET 
[pocket]. 

1893. EMERSON, Lippo, xiv. See 
everything is bono, and keep the split in 
your SKYROCKET. Ibid., xx. I'd two 
bob in my SKY, so paid three night's letty. 

1898. Pink 'Un and Pelican, 237. 
After thirty-six 'ands 'ad bin all over him, 
why, even then we never found his SKY. 

2. (old). Eccentricity. 

1690. DRYDEN, Mistakes, Prol. 
[Works (Globe), 473]. He's no highflyer 
he makes no SKYROCKETS. His squibs 
are only levelled at your pockets. 

SKYSCRAPER, subs, (common). 
Generic for height : e.g. (i) a 
very tall man ; (2) a very lofty 
building : spec. (American) erec- 
tions sometimes twenty stories 
high ; (3) a triangular sail set 
above the royals, a sky-sail, SKY- 
GAZER, or ANGEL'S FOOTSTOOL 
(g.v.); and (4) a SKIED ball. 
Hence SKYSCRAPING and other 
derivatives. 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, v. 
Run out the bolt-sprit, up main-sail, top 
and top-gallant sails, royals, and SKY- 
SCRAPERS, and away follow who can ! 

1893. MILLIKEN, 'Arry Ballads, 47. 
It's a bloominger SKY-SCRAPING Topper. 



Skypper. 



238 



Slack. 



1902. Free Lance, 19 July, 364, i. 
Unsightly blocks of SKY-SCRAPING build- 
ings ; vulgar self-advertisement, loudness, 
and beef Trusts, bluff and billionaires. 

5. (old nautical). A cocked 
hat. 

6. (venery). The penis: see 
PRICK and cf. HEAVEN = female 
pudendum. 

SKYPPER. See SKIPPER, subs., 
sense i. 

SKYTE, subs. (Shrewsbury). See 
quot. : cf. Scots' SKYTE = fool. 

1881. PASCOE, Every-Day Life, &>c. 
Day boys . . . live or lodge in the town ; 
and the designati 
applied to them. 



and the designation of SKYTES was formerly 
them 



Verb, (old). i. SKITE (?.z>.) ; 
and (2) SQUITTER (q.v.). 

ON THE SKYTE, phr. (Scots'). 
Drunk : see SCREWED. 

1872. Paston Letters, i. 85. Robert 
Weryngton to Thomas Daniel, May, 1449. 
And there I came about the Admirale, and 
bade them stryke in the Kyngys name of 
England, and they bade me SKYTE in the 
Kyngs name of England. 

SKYUGLE, verb. (American). See 
quots. 

1873. Tribune, 27 Jan. Not know- 
ing exactly what it is to SKYUGLE a 
message, we cannot say whether our re- 
porter was guilty of that offence or not ; 
but we have no hesitation in admitting 
that he procured a copy of the message in 
advance, and that our reporters do such 
things almost every day. 

1880. COLLINS, Thoughts in my 
Garden, i. 49. The scoundrels SKYUGLED 
one excellent old gentleman's choice plate. 

1864. Army and Navy Journal 
(American), 1 1 July. A corps staff officer 
informed me that he had been out on a 
general SCYUGLE ; that he had SCYUGLED 
along the front, when the rebels SCYUGLED 
a bullet through his clothes ; that he 
should SCYUGLE his servant ; who, by the 
way, had SCYUGLED three fat chickens ; 
that after he had SCYUGLED his dinner, he 
proposed to SCYUGLE a nap. 



SKY- WANNOCKING, subs. phr. 
(common). A drunken frolic. 

SLAB, subs. (old). i. A milestone 
(BEE). 

2. (provincial). A bricklayer's 
boy (HALLIWELL). 

3. (common). A thick slice of 
bread and butter : cf. DOORSTEP. 

4. (Durham School). In //. 
= a flat cake. 

To SLAB OFF, verb. phr. (Ame- 
rican). To reject [BARTLETT]. 

1835. CROCKETT, Tour Down East, 
212. You must take notice that I am 
SLABB'D OFF from the election, and am 
nothing but a voter. 

SLABBERING-BIT, subs. phr. (old). 
A neck-band : clerical or legal 
(GROSE). 

SLABBERDEGULLION. See SLUB- 

BERDEGULLION. 

SLAB-SIDED, adj. (colloquial). 
Tall ; lank ; * up and down ' in 
figure : also SLAP-SIDED. 

1825. NEAL, Brother Jonathan, ii. 
Great, long, SLAB-SIDED gawkeys from the 
country. 

1856. Dow, Sermons, n. 200. I like 
to see a small waist . . . and females with 
hour-glass shapes suit my fancy better 
than your Dutch-churn, soap-barrel, SLAB- 
SIDED sort of figures. 

1856. LELAND, New Sloper Sketches 
{Knickerbocker Mag., Mar.]. The real 
SLAB-SIDED whittler is indigenous to Var- 
mount and New Hampshire. 

1859. KINGSLEY, Geoffrey Hamlyn, 
353. One of those long-legged, SLAB- 
SIDED, lean, sunburned, cabbage-tree 
hatted lads. 

<f.i8oi. LOWELL, Fitz-Adam's Story. 
You didn't chance to run ag'inst my son, 
A long SLAB-SIDED youngster with a gun? 



SLACK, subs, (common). In //. = 
overall trousers. 



Slack-jaw. 



239 



Slaney. 



1883. GREENWOOD, Odd People. 
Unwashed, and in their working SLACKS 
and guernseys. 

2. (pugilistic). A smashing or 
knock-down blow. [Jack Slack, 
champion 1750-60, was known 
for his powerful delivery]. Also 
SLACK-'UN : cf. AUCTIONEER 
and MENDOZA. 

3. (colloquial). A slack time. 

1851-61. MAVHEW, Lond. Lab., in. 
237. When there is a SLACK the mer- 
chants are all anxious to get their vessels 
delivered as fast as they can. 

1861. HUGHES, Tom Brown at 
Oxford, ii. xxi. Though there's a SLACK 
we haven't done with sharp work yet, I 
see. 

Verb, (common). To PISS 
(g.v.) : also TO SLACK OFF. 

TO HOLD ON THE SLACK, verb. 

phr. (nautical). To skulk : to 
loaf. 

SLACK-JAW, subs. phr. (American). 
Impertinence. 

1883. Century Mag., xxxvii. 407. I 
mought do it fur you, bein' as how ye got 
so much SLACK-JAW. 

SLAG, subs. (old). A slack- 
mettled fellow, one not ready to 
resent an affront' (GROSE). 

SLAKE, verb, (provincial). See 
quot. 

1847. HALLIWELL, Archaic Words, 
&c., s.v. SLAKE ... 3. To lick . . . 
vulgarly used in the sense ... of to kiss. 

SLAM, subs. (old). i. A trick 
(GROSE). 

2. (cards'). At whist a game 
lost without scoring : also as verb. 
= to take every trick : cf. SKUNK 
(B. E. and GROSE). 

[?]. Loyal Songs [Ency. Diet.}. 
Until a noble general came And gave the 
cheaters a clean SLAM. 



3. (old). A sloven : also 
SLAMKIN (GROSE : ' One whose 
clothes seem hung on with a 
pitchfork'); and (4) any ill-made, 
awkward, ungainly wretch. 

1697. VANBRUGH, Relapse, v. 6. 
Hoyd. I don't like my lord's shapes, nurse. 
Nurse. Why in good truly, as a body may 
say, he is but a SLAM. 

Verb, (common). I. To brag; 
spec, (military) to feign drunken- 
ness and boast of many drinks : 

cf. SLUM. 

2. (strollers'). To PATTER 
(q. v. ) ; to talk in the way of trade. 
1884. HENLEY, Villon's Good Night. 
You swatchel coves that pitch and SLAM. 

SLAM -BANG. See SLAP, adv. 
SLAMKIN (SLAM MOCKS, or SLAM- 

MERKIN), subs, (old). A SLUT 
(g.v.). As verb. = to slouch. 

SLAMMER, suds, (colloquial). 
Anything exceptional : see 
WHOPPER. Hence SLAMMING 
(adj.) = large, exceptional. 

SLAMPAM (SLAMPAINE, SLAM- 
PAMBES, or SLAM PANT), subs. 
(old). A blow : see WIPE. To 
CUT OF (or GIVE THE) SLAM- 
PAMBES = to circumvent ; to get 
the better of. 

.1563. New Custome [DODSLEV, Old 
Plays (REED), i. 230], I wyll CUT HIM OF 
THE SLAMPAMBES, I hold him a crowne, 
Wherever I meete him, in countrie or 
towne. 

1 577-87. HOLINSHED, Desc. Ireland, 
iii. That one rascal in such scornefull 
wise should GIUE THEM THE SLAMPAINE. 

1582. STANYHURST, sEneid [ARBER], 
116. Shal hee scape thus? shal a stranger 

GEUE ME THE SLAMPAN? 

SLAMTRASH, subs, (provincial). 
A sloven (HALLIWELL). 

SLANEY, subs, (thieves'). A 
theatre. 



Slang. 



240 



Slang. 



SLANG, suds., adj., and verb, (old : 
now recognised). .^TERMINAL 
ESSAY and quots. As verb. 
(i) to speak slang; and (2) to 
scold or abuse. As adj. = ( I ) relat- 
ing to slang ; (2) = low, unrefined ; 
and (3) = angry : also SLANGY and 

SLANGULAR. SLANGINESS = the 

state of being slangy ; SLANG- 
BOYS (or BOYS OF THE SLANG) 
(see quot. 1789) ; SLANGSTER=a 
master of FLASH (q.v.') ; SLANG- 
WHANGER = a speaker addicted to 
slang : whence SLANGWHANGING, 
and SLANGWHANG, verb. = to 
scold; SLANGANDER (American) 
= to backbite; SLANGOOSING 
(American) = tittle-tattle, back- 
biting, esp. of women. 

1743. FIELDING, Jonathan Wild, 
'Advice to His Successor.' The master 
who teaches them [young thieves] should 
be a man well versed in the cant language, 
commonly called the SLANG patter, in which 
they should by all means excel. 

1761. FOOTE, Lyar. [OLIPHANT, 
Neva Eng., ii. 180. A man begs " in the 
College cant " to tick a little longer (remain 
in debt) ; this cant was soon to make way 
for SLANG]. Ibid. (1762), Orators, i. 
Foote. Have you not seen the bills? 
Scamper. What, about the lectures? ay, 
but that's all SLANG, I suppose, . . . no, 
no. 

1785. GROSE, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. 
FLASH LINGO. The canting or SLANG 
language. Ibid., GILES'. St. Giles Greek, 
the cant language, called also SLANG, 
Pedler's French, and Flash. 

1789. PARKER, Variegated Charac- 
ters. SLANG BOYS, fellows who speak the 
SLANG language which is the same as flash 
and cant. 

1796. W. TAYLOR, Monthly Rev., 
xx. 543-4. The personages have mostly the 
manners and language of elegant middle 
life, removed alike from the rant of tragedy 
or the SLANG of farce. 

1798. Anti-Jacobin, 5 Mar. Stanzas 
. . . conceived rather in the SLANG or 
Brentford dialect. 

1807. IRVING, Salmagundi, No. 14. 
It embraces alike all manner of concerns ; 
... to the personal disputes of two miser- 
able SLANGWHANGERS, the cleaning of the 
streets . . . Ibid. (1824). T. Trav., \. 
273. SLANG talk and cant jokes. 



t8og. MALKIN, Gil Bias [Rour- 
LEDGE], 47. He [a doctor] had got into 
reputation with the public by a certain 
professional SLANG. 

1813. EDGEWORTH, Patronage, iii. 
The total want of proper pride and dignity 
... a certain SLANG and familiarity of 
tone, gave superficial observers the notion 
that he was good-natured. 

1816. Gentleman's Mag. , Ixxxvi, 418. 
Unwilling to be a disciple of the stable, the 
kennel, and the sty, as of the other precious 
SLANG, the dialect of Newgate. 

1817. COLERIDGE, Biog., n. xvi. To 
make us laugh by ... SLANG phrases of 
the day. 

1819. ROBERT RABELAIS THE 
YOUNGER, Abeillard and Heloisa, 35. 
For filthy talk and SLANG discourse, They 
every day grow worse and worse. 

1820. Blackwoods Mag., viii. 261. 
Living on the town, as it is SLANGISHLY 
called. 

1821. DE QUINCEY, Conf. (1862), 234. 
According to the modern SLANG phrase. 

1823. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, 
5. Flash, my young friend, or SLANG, as 
others call it, is the classical language of 
the Holy Land ; in other words, St Giles's 
Greek. 

1824. SCOTT, Redgauntlet, xiii. 
What did actually reach his ears was dis- 
guised so completely by the use of cant 
words and the thieves'-Latin called SLANG, 
that even when he caught the words, he 
found himself as far as ever from the sense 
of their conversation. 

1827. LYTTON, Pelham, xlix. We 
rowed, swore, SLANGED. 

1830. KNIGHT, Tr. Acharnians, 106. 
Drunk he shall SLANG with the harlots. 

1837. HOOD, ' Ode to Rae Wilson.' 
With tropes from Billingsgates' SLANG- 
WHANGING Tartars. Ibid. (1845), 36. Tale 
of a Trumpet. The smallest urchin whose 
tongue could tang Shock'd the dame with 
a volley of SLANG. 

1840. HOOD, Up the Rhine, 62. In 
spite of a SLANG air, a knowing look, and 
the use of certain insignificant phrases that 
are most current in London . . . 

1845. N. Y. Com. Advtr., 10 Oct. 
Part of the customary SLANG-WHANGING 
against all other nations which is habitual 
to the English press, 



Slang. 



241 



Slang. 



1849. KINGSLEY, Alton Locke, ii. Be 
quiet, you fool . . . you're a pretty fellow 
to chaff the orator ; he'll SLANG you up the 
chimney before you get your shoes on. 
Ibid. vi. A tall, handsome, conceited, 

SLANGY boy. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., in. 
350. To SLANG with the fishwives. 

1852. BRISTED, Up. Ten Thousand, 
205. Here I have been five days . . . 
hazing what you call SLANGING up- 
holsterers. 

1853. DICKENS, Bleak House, xi. 
His strength lying in a SL ANGULAR direc- 
tion. Ibid. (1865), Our Mutual Priend, 
n. iv. Both were too gaudy, too SLANGY, 
too odorous of cigars, and too much given 
to horseflesh. 

1857. H. REED, Lect. Brit. Poets, 
ix. 308. A freedom and coarseness of 
diction denominated SLANG, a word be- 
longing to the very vocabulary it denotes. 

1872. ELIOT, Middlemarch, xi. All 
choice of words is SLANG. . . . Correct 
English is the SLANG of prigs who write 
history and essays. And the strongest 
SLANG of all is the SLANG of poets. 

1875. WHITNEY, Life and Growth of 
Language, vii. There are grades and uses 
of SLANG whose charm no one need be 
ashamed to feel and confess ; it is like 
reading a narrative in a series of rude and 
telling pictures instead of in words. 

1879-81. SKEAT, Etymological Diet. , 
s.v. SLANG ... is from the Norwegian 
sleng, a slinging, a device, a burden of a 
song. Slengja, to sling ; slengja kieften, 
TO SLANG, abuse (lit. to sling the jaw ; 
SLENG-JENAMN, a slang (i.e., an abusive 
name) ; slengje-ord, an insulting word ; all 
from slengja, to sling. 

1881-9. Encyclopaedic Diet., s.v. 
SLANG. A kind of colloquial language 
current amongst one particular class, or 
amongst various classes of society, unedu- 
cated or educated, but which, not having 
received the stamp of general approval, is 
frequently considered as inelegant or 
vulgar. Almost every profession or calling 
has its own SLANG ... In this sense it 
means any colloquial words or phrases, 
vulgar or refined, used conventionally by 
each particular class of people in speaking 
of particular matters connected with their 
own calling. SLANG is sometimes allied 
to, but not quite identical with cant. 



1884. H. JAMES, JR., Little Tour, 
89. As the game went on, and he lost 
... he ... SLANGED his partner, de- 
clared he wouldn't play any mor, and 
went away in a fury. 

1886. D. Telegraph, 11 Sep. A tipsy 
virago SLANGING the magistrate to the 
high amusement of the top-booted con- 
stables. Ibid., i Jan. It is the business 
of SLANGINESS to make everything ugly. 
Ibid.) 13 Sep. 'Don't be so SLANGY, 
Julia.' remonstrates her father. 



Poor Nellie 



Looked 



1888. roor JVeilze, 17. Looked 
awfully SLANGY then? I'm sure she was 
in a wax. 

1898. Century Diet., s.v. SLANG, i. 
The cant words or jargon used by thieves, 
peddlers, beggars, and the vagabond classes 
generally. 2. In present use, colloquial 
words and phrases which have originated 
in the cant or rude speech of the vagabond 
or unlettered classes, or, belonging in form 
to standard speech, have acquired or have 
had given them restricted, capricious, or 
extravagantly metaphorical meanings, and 
are regarded as vulgar or inelegant . . . 
SLANG as such is not necessarily vulgar or 
ungrammatical ; indeed, it is generally 
correct in idiomatic form, and though 
frequently censured on this ground, it 
often, in fact, owes its doubtful character 
to other causes. 

1899. WHITEING, John St., vi. A 
SLANGING MATCH . . . and the unname- 
able in invective and vituperation rises, as 
in blackest vapour from our pit to the sky. 

1900. Nation, 9 Oct., 289. SLANG 
in the sense of the cant language of thieves 
appears in print as early as the middle of 
the last century [see quot. 1743 supra]. 
Scott when using the word felt the necessity 
of defining it ; and his definition shows not 
only that it was generally unknown but 
that it had not then begun to depart from 
its original sense. 

2. (old). A leg iron; a fetter 
(GROSE and VAUX). [Formerly 
about three three feet long, the 
SLANG being attached to an iron 
anklet rivetted on the leg: the 
SLACK (g.v.} was slung to the 
waistbelt.] Whence (3) = a 
watch-chain. In Dutch slang, 
SLANG = (i) a snake, and (2) a 
chain. 



Slang. 



242 



Slant. 



c.i 790. Kilmainham Minit [Ireland 
Sixty Years Ago, 88], If dat de SLANG 
you run sly, De scrag-boy may yet be out- 
witted, And I scout again on de lay. 

c.i 866. VANCE, Chickaleary Cove. 
How to do a cross-fan for a super or 

SLANG. 

1877. HORSLEV, Jottings from Jail. 
Fullied for a clock and SLANG. 

1900. MAJOR ARTHUR GRIFFITHS, 
Fast and Loose, xxxiii. If I am caught 
it'll mean a ' bashing ' and the SLANGS. 

1901. WALKER, In the Blood, 138. 
A watch and chain, or in thieves' language 
" white lot " and thimble and SLANG. 

4. (old). False weights and 
measures (e.g., a slang quart = 
i pts.). As verb. = to cheat by 
short weight or measure: also 
' to defraud a person of any part 
of his due ' (GROSE and VAUX). 
SLANGING-DUES (see quot. 1785). 

1785. GROSE, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. 
SLANGING-DUES. When a man suspects 
that he has been curtailed of any portion 
of his just right, he will say, There has 
been SLANGING-DUES concerned. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., n. 
104. Some of the street weights, a good 
many of them, are SLANGS. 

5. (old). A beggar's pass ; a 
hawker's license : any official 
instrument. ON THE SLANG = 
begging or peddling. Hence (6) 
a pursuit ; a LAY (q.v.)\ a LURK 
(q.v.). 

1789. PARKER, Variegated Charac- 
ters. How do you work now? Oh, upon 
THE old SLANG and sometimes a little 
bully-prigging. 

7. (showmen's). (a) A travel- 
ling show ; a cheap-jack's van ; 
and (b) a performance ; a TURN 
(q.v.) : e.g., the first, second, or 
third SLANG = the first, second, 
or third HOUSE (q.v.), when more 
than one performance is given 
during the evening. Also THE 
SLANGS = (i) a collection of 
shows, and (2) the showman's 
profession; SLANGING and SLANG- 
CULL (see quot. 1789) ; SLANG- 



AND-PITCHER SHOP = (l) a 
cheap-jack's van, and (2) a 
wholesale dealer in cheap-jack 
wares ; SLANG-TREE = (i) a 
stage, and (2) a trapeze : hence 
TO CLIMB UP THE SLANG TREE 

= (i) to perform, and (2) to 
make an exhibition of oneself. 

1789. PARKER, Var. Characters. 
To exhibit anything in a fair or market, 
such as a tall man, or a cow with two 
heads, that's called SLANGING, and the 
exhibitor is called a SLANG-CULL. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., i. 
353. The SLANG-COVES (the showmen) 
have . . . been refused. 

1887. HENLEY, Villon's Straight 
Tip, 2. Pad with a SLANG, or chuck a fag. 

1888. HOOD, Comic Annual, 52. 
There were all kinds of fakes on the 
SLANGS . . . amongst others some Chinese 
acrobatic work. 

TO SLANG THE MAULEYS, 

verb. phr. (streets'). To shake 
hands. [That is TO SLING (q. v. )]. 

SLANGRILL (or SLANGAM), subs. 
(old). A lout. 

1592. GREENE, Quip for Upstart 
Courtier [Harl. Misc., v. 407]. The third 
was a long leane, olde, slavering SLAN- 
GRILL. 

1611. COTGRAVE, Diet., s.v. Longis. 
A tall and dull SLANGAM, that hath no 
making to his height, nor wit to his 
making ; also one that being sent on an 
errand is long in returning. 

SLANT, subs, (colloquial). i. An 
opportunity ; a chance. [Origin- 
ally nautical = a favourable wind : 
e.g., f a SLANT across the Bay.'] 

2. (American). A side blow 
(BARTLETT). 

Verb, (thieves'). I. To run 
away : see BOLT. 

2. (colloquial). To exagge- 
rate ; to * draw the LONG BOW ' 



3. (racing). To wager: see 
LAY. 



S lantendicular. 



243 



Slap. 



SLANTENDICULAR, adj. (collo- 
quial). Indirect ; a SLANT (g.v.). 
Also as adv. 

1844. HALI BURTON, The Attache, 
xxviii. Pony got mad and sent the Elder 
right slap over his head SLANTENDI- 
CULARLY, on the broad of his back, into 
the river. 

1872. DE MORGAN, Budg. of Para- 
doxes, 289. He must put himself [in the 
Calendar] under the first saint, with a 
SLANTENDICULAR reference to the other. 

SLAP, subs. (old). I. Booty ; 
plunder. 

.1790. Kilmainham Minit [Ireland 
Sixty Years Ago, 87]. And when dat he 
milled a fat SLAP, He merrily melted de 
winners. 

2. (theatrical). Make-up. Also 
as verb. : \cf. SLAP = to rough 
cast]. 

1897. MARSHALL, Pomes, 98. You 
could just distinguish faintly That she 
favoured the judicious use of SLAP. 

Adj. (colloquial). First-rate ; 

SMART (q.V.) ', PRIME (q.V.) : also 
SLAP-UP : cf. BANG-UP (GROSE). 

Whence SLAPPER = anything ex- 
ceptional : see WHOPPER ; SLAP- 
PING = very big, excellent. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Lond. Lab., n. 
119. People's got proud now . . . and 
must have everything SLAP. Ibid., 122. 
A smart female servant in SLAP-UP black. 

1855. THACKERAY, Neiucomts, xxxi. 
Might it not be more SLAP-UP still to have 
the two shields painted on the panels with 
the coronet over. 

1859. MATSELL, Vocabulum. Ker- 
seymere kicksies . . . built very SLAP 
with the artful dodge. 

1865. DICKENS, O. M. Friend. A 
SLAP-UP gal in a bang-up chariot. 

1880. AINSWORTH, Auriol. He's a 
regular SLAP-UP swell. 

1885. Stage, 129. Whitechapel cos- 
ters, who wore SLAP-UP kicksies. 

Adv. (colloquial). Violently ; 
plump ; offhand : also SLAP- 
BANG, SLAM-BANG and SLAP- 



DASH. As subs. = (i) careless 
work, and (2) indiscriminate 
action ; as verb. =to go recklessly 
to work. 

1671. BUCKINGHAM, Rehearsal 
[ARBER], 67. He is upon him, SLAP, with 
a repartee ; then he is at him again, DASH, 
with a new conceit. 

1693. CONGREVE, Old Batchelor, iv. 
9. I am SLAP DASH down in the mouth, 
and have not one word to say. 

1705. VANBRUGH, Confederacy, iv. 
Very genteel, truly 1 Go, SLAP DASH, and 
offer a woman of her scruples money, bolt 
in her face ! 

1712. CENTLIVRE, Perpl. Lovers, iii. 
If you don't march off, I shall play you 
such an English courant of SLAP DASH 
presently, that shan't out of your ears this 
twelvemonth. 

1717. PRIOR, Alma, i. 17. And yet, 
SLAPDASH, is all again, In every sinew, 
nerve, and vein. 

1753. RICHARDSON, Grandison, i. 
170. In so peremptory, in so uncere- 
monious a manner, SLAPDASH as I may 
say. 

I 759-67- STERNE, Tristram Shandy, 
in. 38. The whips and short turns which 
in one stage or other of my life have come 
SLAP upon me. 

c.i 790. Kilmainham Minit [Ireland 
Sixty Years Ago], 87. SLAP DASH tro 
de Poddle we lark it. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 42. He came down SLAP-DASH 
on all the rest of the dishes. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingoldsby Legends, 
ii. 143. His horse, coming SLAP on his 
knees . . . threw . . . him head over 
heels. 

1853. LYTTON, My Novel, in. vi. It 
was a SLAPDASH style. 

c.i 866. VANCE, Jolly Dogs. SLAP- 
BANG, here we are again. 

1882. LOWELL [Century Mag., xxxv. 
515]. The SLAPDASH judgments upon 
artists ... are very characteristic. 

1884. C. READE, Art, 20. He ... 
executed a marvellously grotesque bow 
. . . this done, he ... strode away again 

SLAP-DASH. 

1885. Weekly Echo, 5 Sep. This 
most eccentric of quill-drivers gets up his 
facts in a SLAP-DASH fashion. 



Slap-bang shop. 244 



Slasher. 



18... Athenaeum, 3197, 146. As a 
specimen of newspaper SLAPDASH we may 
point to the description of General Ignatieff 
as 'the Russian Mr. Gladstone.' 

A SLAP (or SLAT) IN THE FACE, 
phr. (colloquial). A rebuff; a 
reproach (BEE). 

See SLOP UP. 

SLAP-BANG SHOP, subs. phr. (old). 
i. See quot. 1785. Also SLAM- 
BANG SHOP (BEE). 

1785. GROSE, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. 
SLAP-BANG SHOP. A petty cook's shop, 
where there is no credit given, but what is 
had must be paid for, down with the ready 
SLAP-BANG, i.e. immediately. This is a 
common appellation for a night cellar fre- 
quented by thieves. 

1856. DICKENS, Sketches by Boz, 
1 Making a Night of it.' They dined at 
the same SLAP-BANG every day, and 
revelled in each other's company every 
night. 

2. (old). A stage coach, or 
caravan (GROSE). 

See SLAP, adv. 
SLAP-JACK. See FLAP-JACK. 

SLAPPATY-POUCH (or SLATTER- 
POUCH), subs. (old). Beating 
the arms on the chest to keep 
warm. 

1654. GAYTON, Festivous Notes, 86. 
When they were boyes at trap, or 
SLATTERPOUCH They'd sweat. 

^.1704. BROWN, Works, II. 126. We 
have . . . tir'd our palms and our ribs at 

SLAPPATY-POUCH. 

SLAP-SAUCE, subs. phr. (old). A 
hanger-on ; a toady. As adj. 
to SPONGE (q.v.}. 

1557. TUSSER, Husbandrie, 188. 
Ere tongue be too free, Or SLAPSAUCE be 
noted too saucie to bee. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, \. xxv. 
SLAPSAUCE fellows . . . lubbardly louts. 

SLAP-SIDED. See SLAB-SIDED. 



SLASH, subs, (thieves'). An out- 
side pocket \cf. GROSE, s.v. SLIP, 
' the SLASH pocket in the skirt of 
a coat behind.']. 

Verb, (literary). To criticise 
severely, sarcastically, or at ran- 
dom ; TO CUT UP (q.v.). : also TO 
SLASH IN. Hence SLASHING, 
subs. = damning criticism ; as 
adj. =trenchent. harsh ; SLASHER 
= a vigorous critic. 

^.1859. DE QUINCEY, Homer, i. The 
Alexandrian critics with all their SLASHING 
insolence . . . groped about in twilight. 

1874. MORTIMER COLLINS, Frances, 
xvii. The SLASHING writers who delight 
to cut up a book, especially if the author 
is a friend or a rival. 

1888. Athenaeum, 14 Jan., 43. He 
may be called the inventor of the modern 
SLASHING article. 

SLASHER, subs. (old). i. A bully; 
a bravo : see FURIOSO (GROSE 
and MATSELL). Also (2) a 
pounding pugilist, a HITTITE 
(y.v.) ; and (3) see SLASH. 

1593. HARVEY [GROSART, Works, ii. 
57]. That most threatening SLASSHER. 

4. (old). A sword. 

1815. SCOTT, Guy Mannering, xxxiii. 
1 Had he no arms '?...' Ay, ay, he was 
never without barkers and SLASHERS. 

5. (colloquial). Anything ex- 
ceptional : see WHOPPER. Hence 
SLASHING = exceptionally bril- 
liant, vigorous, successful, expert, 
&c. Also as adv., as a SLASHING 
fine woman ; a SLASHING good 
race ; and so forth. 

1854. DICKENS, Hard Times [Ency. 
Diet.]. A SLASHING fortune. 

THE - SLASHERS, subs. phr. 
(military). The ist Batt. Glou- 
cestershire Regiment, formerly 
The 28th Foot. Also "The 
Old Braggs" and "The Right- 
abouts." 



Slat. 



245 



Slathers. 



SLAT, subs. (old). Half-a-crown : 
2/6 ; see RHINO (GROSE) ; also 
(B. E.) SLATE. 

Verb. (American). To throw, 
beat, or move with violence. 

1604. M A R s T o N, Malcontent. 
SLATTED his brains out, then soused him 
in the briny sea. 

1846. N. Y. Com. Advtr., 15 May. 
Aunt Nancy would retire to the kitchen, 
and taking up the dipper, would SLAT 
round the hot water from a kettle. 

.1859. Layfayette Chronicle [BART- 
LETT]. Suz alive ! but warn't my dander 
up to hear myself called a flat? down I 
SLAT the basket, and upsought all the 
berries. 

1865. Major Jack Downing, 200. 
With that I handed him my axe, and he 
SLATTED about the chamber a spell. 

SLATE, subs. (Old CantX i. A 
sheet (DEKKER and GROSE) : 
also (B. E.) SLAT. 

1567. HARMAN, Caveat [E. E. T. S.], 
76. A kynching morte is a lytle gyrle ; 
the Mortes their mothers carries them at 
their backs in their SLATES. 

1611. MIDDLETON, Roaring Girl, v. 
i. I have, by the Salomon, a doxy that 
carries a kinchin-mort in her SLATE at her 
back. 

1622. FLETCHER, Beggar s Bush, iii. 
3. To mill from the Ruffmans commission 
and SLATES. 

2. (American political). A 
preliminary list of candidates re- 
commended to office ; a party 
programme. [In practice a 
secret understanding between 
leaders as to the candidates they 
desire the nominating Convention 
to adopt.] To SMASH (or 
BREAK) THE SLATE = to defeat 
the wire-pullers ; TO SLATE = (i) 
to prepare, and (2) to be included 
in such a list. SLATE-SMASHER 
= a leader who ignores the 
wishes of his party. 

1877. N. Y. Tribune, i Mar. The 
facts about the latest Cabinet SLATE . . . 
are interesting as showing . . . the course 
of President Hayes in choosing his ad- 
visers. 



Verb. (colloquial). i. To 
reprimand or criticise ; TO CUT 
UP (q.v.}. [Formerly SLAT = to 
bait.] Hence SLATING (or a 
SLATE) = a blowing up ; severe 
censure ; unsparing criticism. 

.1300. R. DE BRUNNE, MS. Bowes, 
55. The apostille says that God thaim 
hatys, And over alle other with thaim 
SLATYS. 

1889. BLACKMORE, Kit and Kitty, 
xxxi. And instead of being grateful you 
set to and SLATE me. 

1890. KIPLING, Light that Failed, 
iv. None the less I'll SLATE him. I'll 
SLATE him ponderously in the catacylsm. 

1902. KERNAHAN, Scoundrels, iv. 
If crimes were ' reviewed ' in the same 
way as stories a critic might SLATE the 
two offences [lack of originality in crime 
and books] in almost identical words. 

2. (HALLIWELL). ' A woman 
is said TO BE SLATED when her 
petticoat falls below her gown.' 

3. (common). To bash a 
man's hat over the eyes ; TO 
BONNET (^.Z>.)- 

4. (sporting). To bet heavily 
against an entry. 

A SLATE OFF (LOOSE, &C.), 

subs. phr. (common). Crazy ; a 

TILE LOOSE (C[.V.~). 

SLATER'S PAN, subs. phr. (obso- 
lete). ' The gaol of Kingston in 
Jamaica; SLATER is the deputy 
provost- marshal 1 ' (GROSE). 

SLATHERS, subs. (American). 
Abundance ; ' lashin's an' lavin's.' 

1876. CLEMENS, Tom Sawyer, 75. I 
am going to be a clown at a circus. They 
get SLATHERS of money most a dollar a 
day. 

1 8 [?]. New Princeton Rev. [Century]. 

Mr. can repeat SLATHERS and 

SLATHERS of another man's literature. 



Slaughter. 



246 



Sleeper. 



SLAUGHTER, verb, (trade). i. To 
sell at a SACRIFICE (q.v.). Hence 

SLAUGHTER-HOUSE = a shop OI 

auction-room where goods are 
bought or sold for what they will 
bring; SLAUGHTERER = (i) a 
vendor at cost, and (2) a buyer for 
re-manufacture : as books for 
pulp, cloth for shoddy, &c. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab. . . 
One East End SLAUGHTERER used habitu- 
ally to tell that wet Saturday afternoons 
. . . put 20 extra in his pocket . . . 
Under such circumstances the poor work- 
man is at the mercy of the SLAUGHTERER. 

SLAUGHTER OF THE INNO- 
CENTS. See INNOCENT. 

SLAVE-DRIVER, subs, (colloquial). 
I. A harsh taskmaster; a strict 
master. 

2. (Harrow cricket). Seequot. 

1890. Great Public Schools, 95. The 
upper ground on these days is given up to 
practice at the nets for the eleven and the 
'Sixth Form' game, and to practice in 
fielding and catching. Boys below the 
Removes have to fag for them, and these 
fags are managed by SLAVE-DRIVERS, three 
or four boys appointed for the purpose. 

SLAVEY, subs, (common). A 
drudge : male or female ; ' a ser- 
vant of either sex ' (GROSE). Also 

(old) SLAVING-GLOKE. 

1821. EGAN, Life in London, n. i. 
The SLAVEY and her master the surgeon 
and the resurrection-man . . . they are 
"all there." 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Lond. Lab., i. 
472. The first enquiry is for the missus or 
a daughter, and if they can't be got at they 
are on to the SLAVEYS. 

1855. THACKERAY, Newcomes, xi. 
The boy Thomas, otherwise called SLAVEY 
. . . has been instructed to bring soda 
whenever he hears the word SLAVEY pro- 
nounced from above. 

1879. HORSLEY [Macm. Mag., xl. 
501 ]. I piped a SLAVEY come out of a chat, 
so when she bad got a little way up the 
double, I pratted in the house. 



1886. D. Telegraph, i Ap. No well- 
conducted English girl need be a SLAVEY 
at all. 

1893. EMERSON, Lippo, xvi. She 
knew all the cant, and used to palarie 
thick to the SLAVEYS. 

1901. Free Lance, 16 Mar., 586, i. 
Joan Burnett ... has inherited both her 
mother's and her father's talent, as all will 
have noticed who saw her play the curiously 
pathetic SLAVEY in " The Wedding Guest. 

SLEDGE-HAMMER, verb, (collo- 
quial). To hit hard ; to batter. 

1834. LEWIS, Letters, 32. You may 
see what is meant by SLEDGE-HAMMERING 
a man. 

SLEEK. See SLICK. 

SLEEK- AND -SLUM SUQP, subs. phr. 
(BEE).' A public house or tavern 
where single men and their wives 
resort. ' 

SLEEP, verb, (colloquial). To pro- 
vide sleeping accommodation : cf. 
ROOM. 

1887. RIBTON - TURNER, Vagrants 
and Vagrancy, 399. They were to have 
a double row of beds, 'two tire' high, to 
admit of SLEEPING 100 men and 60 women. 

To SLEEP ON BONES, verb. phr. 
(old). To sleep in a lap: e.g., 
* Let not the child sleep on bones, 
i.e., in the nurse's lap ' (RAY). 

TO SLEEP ON BOTH EARS, verb. 

phr. (old). To sleep soundly, 
without a care. 

1633. MASSINGER, Guardian, ii. 2. 
SLEEP you secure ON EITHER EAR. 

SLEEP- DRUNK, adj. phr. (collo- 
quial). Drowsy ; confused : as 
on waking from heavy sleep. 

SLEEPER, subs. (American). A 
sleeping-car. 

1886. Referee. 26 Dec. Our . . . 
SLEEPER as the natives prefer to call these 
much-vaunted American inventions. 

2. (American gaming). Un- 
claimed money. 



Sleeping-house. 



247 



Sleeveless. 



SLEEPING-HOUSE, subs. phr. (B. E. 
c. 1696). ' SLEEPINGE HOUSE, 
without Shop, Ware-House, or 
Cellar, only for a private Family.' 

SLEEPING - PARTNER, subs. phr. 
(GROSE). i. 'A partner in a 
trade, or shop, who lends his name 
and money, for which he receives 
a share of the profit, without 
doing any part of the business.' 

2. (common). A bed-fellow. 

SLEEPY, adj. and adv. (old). Much 
worn ; threadbare : e.g. , a SLEEPY 
PEAR = a pear beginning to decay ; 
a SLEEPLESS-HAT = shabby head- 
gear 'with nap worn off' (GROSE). 
See GOLGOTHA. 

SLEEPY-HEAD, subs. phr. (common). 
A dullard. 

SLEEPY QUEENS (THE), subs. phr. 
(military). The Queen's Royal 
Regiment, late the 2nd Foot. 

SLEEPY-SEED, subs. phr. (nursery). 
In pi. =The mucous secretion 
about the eyelids during sleep : 
cf. SAND-MAN. 

SLEEVE. Here occur one or two 
PHRASES and COLLOQUIALISMS : 

TO HANG ON (or UPON) A 

SLEEVE = to be dependent ; TO 

LAUGH IN ONE'S SLEEVES = to 

deride or exult in secret (B. E.) ; 

TO WEAR ONE'S HEART UPON 

ONE'S SLEEVE = to make no 
mystery, to be artless ; IN (or UP) 
ONE'S SLEEVE = hidden, in re- 
serve, ready for use ; TO PIN TO 
ONE'S SLEEVE = to flaunt ; TO 
HANG ON ANOTHER'S SLEEVE = 
to accept another's authority. 
1546. ' HEYWOOD, Proverbs. To 

LAUGH IN MY SLEEVE. 

1580. LYLY, Euphues [OLIPHANT, 
New Eng. , i. 607. Among the verbs are 
match (marry), PIN A MAN TO HER 
SLEEVE], 



1589. PUTTENHAM, Art of Eng. 
Poesy, 251. The better to winne his pur- 
poses ... to HAVE a iourney or sicknesse 
IN HIS SLEEVE, thereby to shake off other 
importunities of greater consequence. 

d. 1600. HOOKER, Eccles. Polity [Ency. 
Diet.]. It is not ... to ask why we 
should HANG our judgment UPON THE 
CHURCH'S SLEEVE. 

1602. SHAKSPEARE, Othello, i. i. I 

will WEAR MY HEART UPON MY SLEEVE for 

daws to peck at. 

1713. ARBUTHN9T, Hist. John Bull. 
John LAUGHED heartily IN HIS SLEEVE at 
the pride of the esquire. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [RouT- 
LEDGE], 79. I made him a thousand low 
bows though I felt for him IN MY SLEEVE 
the contempt and hatred, &c. Ibid., 227. 
I could not help LAUGHING IN MY SLEEVE 
when I considered who and what they 
were. 

1900. SAVAGE, Brought to Bay, ii. 
Sir Everard was a close enough old man 
. . . We, none of us, WEAR OUR HEARTS 
ON OUR SLEEVE. Ibid., viii. He is the 
equal of any man. The sort of fellow who 
always has something UP HIS SLEEVE. 

SLEEVEBOARD, subs, (tailors'). A 
hard word to pronounce ; a JAW- 
BREAKER (q.v.}. 

SLEEVELESS, adj. (old). Fruitless; 
inadequate ; wanting a cover or 
excuse ; ' impertinent or trifling ' 
(BAILEY) : now only in phrase, 

*A SLEEVELESS ERRAND ' = (B. E. 

and GROSE) 'a fool's errand, in 
search of what it is impossible to 
find,' CHAUCER, Test. Love, ii. 
334- 

14!?]. Reliq. Antiq., i. 83. Syrrus, 
thynke not lonke, and y schall tell yow a 

SLEVELES RESON. 

1579. LYLY, Euphues, ' Anat. of 
Wit," 114. Neither faine for thy selfe any 

SLEEVELESS EXCUSE. 

1593. Passionate Morrice [Shaks. 
Soc.], 63. Shee had dealt better if shee 
had sent himselfe away with a crabbed 
answere, then so vnmannerly to vse him 

by SLEEVELES EXCUSES. 

1599. HALL, Satires, iv. i. Worse 
than the logogryphes of later times, Or 
hundreth riddles shak'd to SLKBVELESSE 
RHYMES. 



Slewed. 



248 



Slick. 



1602. SHAKSPEARE, Troilus and 
Cressida, v. 4, 10. That same young 
Trojan ass, that loves the whore there, 
might send that Greekish whoremasterly 
villain, with the sleeve, back to the dis- 
sembling luxurious drab, of a SLEEVELESS 

ERRAND. 

<y. 1612. HARINGTON, Epigrams, in. 9. 
My men came back as from a SLEEVELESS 
ARRANT. 

1620. FLETCHER, Little French 
Lawyer, ii. To be despatch'd upon a 
SLEEVELESS ERRAND, To leave my friend 
engag'd, mine honour tainted. 

1630. TAYLOR, Works, n. iii. A 
neat laundresse, or a hearbwife can Carry 
a SLEEVELESS MESSAGE now and then. 

1633. JONSON, Tale of a Tub, iv. 4. 
It [a coat] did play me such a SLEEVELESS 
ERRAND As I had nothing where to put 
mine arms in, And then I threw it off. 

^.1680. BUTLER, Works, ii. 296. They 
are the likelier, quoth Bracton, To bring 
us many a SLEEVELESS ACTION. 

.1696. B. E., Diet. Cant. Crew, s.v. 
SLEEVELESS STORY, a Tale of a Tub, or of 
a Cock and a Bull. 

1706. WARD, Wooden World, 22. 
He sends him upon a thousand SLEEVE- 
LESS ERRANDS to the great Consolation of 
the Footman. 

1737-41. WARBURTON, Div. Leg., 
iii. To save himself from the vexation of 

A SLEEVELESS ERRAND. 



SLEWED, adj. (common). Drunk : 
see SCREWED. Also SLUED. 

.1843. DICKENS, Martin Chuzzlewit, 
xxviii. He came into our place one night 
to take her home ; rather SLUED, but not 
much. 

1855. Whig Almanack [BARTLETT]. 
I went to bed SLEWED last night didn't 
dream of such a thing in the morning. 

SLEWER, subs. (American). A 
servant-girl : cf. Dutch slang 
sluer (or sloor) = a poor, common 
woman. 



SLIBBER- SLABBER, adj. (collo- 
quial). Careless. 



SLICE. To TAKE A SLICE, verb, 
phr. (venery). To intrigue ; 
'particularly (GROSE) with a 
married woman, because a slice 
off a cut loaf is not missed.' 

SLICK, adv. (Old English : then 
American). I. Quick ; bold ; 
direct ; perfect. Whence (2) = 
clever ; plausible ; expert ; SMART 
(q.v.). Also SLEEK. 

1605. JONSON, CHAPMAN, &c., East- 
ware Hoe, ii. i. They be the smoothest 
and SLICKEST knaves in a country. 

1832. HALIBURTON, Traits of Am. 
Humour, n. 18. Courtin' is the hardest 
thing in the world to begin, though it goes 
on so SLICK arterwards. 

1835. CROCKETT, Tour down East, 
120. The Senate could not pass Mr. 
Stevenson through for England . . . He 
was a-going through right SLICK till he 
came to his coat-pockets, and they were so 
full of papers written by Ritchie that he 
stuck fast. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingolds. Leg., i. 241. 
The hare, making play, Progress'd right 
SLICK away, As them tarnation chaps, the 
Americans, say. 

1841. _ Knickerbocker Mag. [BART- 
LETT]. Singin' is a science which comes 
pretty tough at first, but it goes SLICK 
afterwards. 

1844. Major Jones's Courtship, 94. 
I done it as SLICK as a whistle. 

1847. Blackwoods Mag. The rail- 
road company, out of sheer parsimony, 
have neglected to fence in their line, which 
goes SLICK through the centre of your 
garden. 

1856. Dow, Sermons [BARTLETT]. 
Nobody can waltz real SLICK unless they 
have the spring-halt in one leg, as horses 
sometimes have. 

1869. STOWE, Oldtown, 253. He 
[read] it off SLICKER than any on us could ; 
he did there wa'n't no kind o" word could 
stop him. 

1896. LILLARD, Poker Stories, 243. 
One of the SLICKEST young fellows that 
ever turned a card . . . could work the 
shells and the elusive pea like a circus 
sharper . . . 



Slick-a-die. 



249 



Slim. 



To SLICK UP, verb. phr. (Ame- 
rican). To TITTIVATE (q.V.) ; 
to smarten ; to put in order. 

1840. CLAVERS, Montacute, 211. 
Mrs. Flyer was SLICKED UP for the occa- 
sion, in the snuff-colored silk she was 
married in. 

1843. CARLTON, New Purchase, i. 
72. The caps most in vogue then were 
made of dark, coarse, knotted twine, like a 
cabbage-net, worn, as the wives said, to 
save SLICKING UP, and to hide dirt. 

1865. MAJOR DOWNING, Mayday, 43. 
The house was all SLICKED UP as neat as a 
pin, and the things in every room all sot to 
rights. 

SLICK- A- DIE, subs. phr. (thieves'). 
A pocket-book : see DEE. 

SLICKER, subs. (Western Ameri- 
can). An overcoat : spec, a 
waterproof : also SLEEKER. 

1882. ROOSEVELT [Century Mag., 
xxxv. 864]. We had turned the horses 
loose, and in our oilskin SLICKERS covered, 
soaked and comfortless, under the lee of 
the wagon. 

SLIDE, verb, (colloquial). i. To 
decamp; TO SKIP (q.v.) : also 
TO SLIDE OUT = (i) to leave 
stealthily ; and (2) to shirk : by 
artifice. 

i8[?]. R. S. WILLIS, Student's Song 
[BARTLETT]. Broken is the band that 
held us, We must cut our sticks and 

SLIDE. 

1896. LILLARD, Poker Stories, 150. 
He is supposed to gather his hat and coat, 
and SLIDE at once. 

1899. WHITEING, John St., xxi. 
Cheese it, an' SLIDE. 

2. (colloquial). To backslide; 
to WEAKEN (q.v.): e.g. from a 
resolution, attitude, or promise. 
As subs. = an error, a falling 
away ; SLIDING = transgression. 

1603. SHAKSPEARE, Meas.for Meas., 
ii. 4, 115. Proved the SLIDING of your 
brother A merriment than a vice. 



1620. FORD, Line of Life [Century]. 
The least blemish, the least SLIDE, the 
least error, the least offonce, is exaspe- 
rated, made capital. 

To LET SLIDE, verb. phr. (old 
colloquial). To let go ; to allow 
things to take care of themselves. 

1369. CHAUCER, Troilus, v. 357. So 
sholdestow endure and LATEN SLYDE The 
time. Ibid. (1383), Cant. Tales, ' Clerkes 
Tale,' 26. Wei neigh all other cures let he 

SLIDE. 

1420. PALLADIUS, Hosbondrie 
[E. E. T. S.], 64. Lette that crafte 
SLYDE. 

1593. SHAKSPEARE, Taming of 
Shrew, Induct, i. 6. LET the world 

SLIDE. 

TO DO A SLIDE UP THE BOARD 

(or STRAIGHT), verb. phr. 
(venery). To copulate : see 
GREENS and RIDE. 

SLIDE-GROAT, subs. phr. (old). 
SHOVE-HALFPENNY (q.v.). 

1528. HOLINSHED, Chron. of Ireland. 
The lieutenant and he for their disport 
were plaieing at SLIDE-GROTE or shoofle- 
board. 

SLIDER, subs. (old). In //. = 
drawers. 

1700. DICKBNSON, God's Prot. Prov. 
[Century]. A shirt and SLIDERS. 

SLIDE - THRIFT. See SHOVEL - 

BOARD. 

SLIM, subs. (Old Cant). See quot. 

1789. PARKER, Variegated Charac- 
ters. ... A bobstick of rum SLIM, a 
shilling's worth of rum 

Adj. (colloquial). Delicate ; 
feeble. 

1877. JEWETT, Deephaven, 169. 
She's had SLIM health of late years. 

Adv. (colloquial). Resource- 
ful; SMART (q.v.). [In provincial 
English SLIM = sly, cunning, 
awry : the popular use of the 
word during the South African 
War, 1899-1902, largely, if not 
wholly = mere artfulness.] 



Slime. 



250 



Slink. 



SLIME, verb. (Durham School). 
i. To 'cut' games. Also (2) to 
lounge, to loaf: e.g., ' SLIMEING 
down town.' 

3. (Felsted). To sneak along ; 
TO DO A SLIME = to take a crafty 
advantage. 

4. (Harrow). To go round 
quietly. 

1898. WARNER, Harrow School, 282. 
His house-beak SLIMED and twug him. 

5. (Harrow). To make 'drops' 
at rackets. 

SLING, verb, (common). A generic 
verb of action. Thus I (thieves') 
= to throw away or pass to a 
confederate; and 2 (general) to 
do easily ; TO SLING A POT = to 
drink; TO SLING THE BOOZE = 
to stand treat ; TO SLING A BOB 
(a tanner anything) = to give ; 
TO SLING ONE'S HOOK (BUNK, or 
DANIEL) = to decamp; TO SLING 
A DADDLE = to shake hands ; 

TO SLING A CAT = to vomit ; TO 

SLING A TINKLER = to ring the 
bell ; TO SLING ONE'S JUICE (or 
JELLY) = to masturbate ; TO SLING 

A POEM, ARTICLE, Or BOOK = to 

write; TO SLING A HAT = to wave 
one in applause ; TO SLING THE 
SMASH = to smuggle tobacco to 
prisoners ; TO SLING ABOUT = to 
loaf; TO SLING INK (or A PEN) 
= to write : hence INKSLINGER 
= a clerk or author ; TO SLING A 
FOOT = to dance ; TO SLING ONE 
IN THE EYE = to blacken it ; TO 

KILL A CROW WITH AN EMPTY 

SLING (RAY) = to gain without 
effort ; TO SLING OFF (or PATTER 
or JAW) = to talk, to abuse, to 
insinuate : cf. SLANG ; TO SLING 
A SNOT = to blow one's nose with 
the fingers : also TO SLING ; TO 

SLING (or JERK) A PART = to 

undertake a role : TO SLING A 



NASTY PART = to play so well 
that another would find it diffi- 
cult to rival it ; TO SLING ROUND 
ON THE LOOSE = to act reck- 
lessly; SLING YOURSELF (LET 
HER SLING !) = ' Bestir yourself.' 

1835. CROCKETT, Tour down East, 
37. We swung round the wharf; and 
when the captain told the people who I 
was, they SLUNG THEIR HATS and gave 
three cheers. 

1864. BROWNE ('Artemus Ward'), 
Works (1870), 277. The chaps that write 
for the Atlantic, Betsy, understand their 
bisness. They can SLING INK, they can. 
Ibid., 305. You ask me, sir, to SLING 
SOME INK for your paper. 

1873. GREENWOOD, In Strange Com- 
pany. He . . . swore . . . that if we 
did not that instant SLING OUR DANIELS 
... he would shy at us every heavenly 
article of crockery his apartment contained. 

1884. CLEMENS, Huckleberry Finn. 
Teach singing . . . SLING A LECTURE 
sometimes. 



1899. WHITEING./tfAwS/., VI. Blow 

me if I shan't be sold up, too, if I don't 
soon SLING MY 'OOK. Ibid. , xxi. If ever 
I ketch yer messin' abaht wi' any o' them, 

I'll SLING him ONE IN THE EYE. 



^. (common). Apiece 
of bread floating in tea. 

SLINGING, adj. (colloquial). 
Covering ; indefatigable ; effort- 
less. 

1857. HUGHES, Tom Brown's School- 
days, i. 7. Two well-known runners . . . 
started off at a long SLINGING trot across 
the fields. 

SLINK, subs, (common). i. A 
sneak ; (2) a greedy starveling 
(HALLIWELL) ; and (3) a cheat. 
Hence as adj. (or SLINKY) = (i) 
sneaky, mean ; and 2 (America) 
= thin, lank (BARTLETT). 

1816. SCOTT, Antiquary, xv. He 
has na' settled his account wi' my gudeman 
the deacon for this twalmonth ; he's but 
SLINK, I doubt. 

i8[?]. Chronicles of Pinevitte, 139 
[BARTLETT]. I despise a SLINK. 



Slip. 



251 



Slip-gibbet. 



4. (old). A bastard : cf. SLINK 
= to miscarry (of beasts). 

1702. COMBERBATCH, Byron and 
Elms, Comberbatch, 391. What did you 
go to London for but to drop your SLINK. 

SLIP, subs. (old). See quots. : 
also SLIP-COIN. Whence TO BE 

NAILED UP FOR SLIPS = to be 

tried and found wanting. 

^.1592. GREENE, Theeves Falling Out 
[Harl. Misc., viii. 399]. Certain SLIPS, 
which are counterfeit pieces of money, 
being brasse, and covered over with silver, 
which the common people call SLIPS. 

1594. LYLY, Mother Bombie, ii. i. 
I shall goe for silver though, when you 
shall be NAILED UP FOR SLIPS. 

1595. SHAKSPEARE, Romeo and 
Juliet, ii. 4. Rom. What counterfeit did 
I give you. Mer. The SLIP, sir, the SLIP : 
can you not conceive ? 

^.1637. JONSON, Epigrams, 64. First 
weigh a friend, then touch and try him 
too, For there are many SLIPS and counter- 
feits. 

^.1655. ADAMS, Works, i. 247. To 
take a piece of SLIP-COIN in hand. 

2. (old). A miscarriage; an 
abortion. Also as verb. to 
miscarry. 

PHRASES. To SLIP ONE'S 
CABLE (BREATH, or WIND) = to 
to die : see ALOFT ; TO GIVE THE 
SLIP = to escape unobserved ; 
A SLIP (or FALL) 'TWIXT CUP 
AND LIP = a thing not done 
may spoil in the doing ; TO 
SLIP INTO = (i) to attack, and 
(2) to execute with vigour ; TO 
SLIP UP = to err, to trip ; A SLIP 
OF THE TONGUE = an inadver- 
tency in speech ; TO MAKE A 
SLIP = to give chastity the go-by : 
whence see SLIP, ante 2. 

1563-4. EDWARDES, Damon and 
Pithias [DoosLEY, Old Plays (REED), 
iv.]. [OLIPHANT, New Eng., i. 565. 
Among the verbs are GIVE HIM THE SLIP 



1570. LAMBARDE, Peramb. of Kent, 
422. Many things happen BETWEENE THE 

CUP AND THE LlPPE. 

1 596. JONSON, Ev. Man in Humour, 
u. 3. It s no matter ... if I cannot GIVE 
him THE SLIP at an instant. 

1599. CHAPMAN, Hum. Day's Mirth 
( Works (1874), 39]. He GAVE us THE SLIP 
before dinner. 

^.1704. BROWN, Works, ii. 14. He 
had no sooner turn'd his back, but I 
pluck'd too the wicket, and GAVE him THE 
SLIP. 

1726. VANBRUGH, Provoked Hug' 
band, ii. i. A plague on him, the monkey 
has GIN us THE SLIP. Ibid., v. i. While 
she stood gaping, I GAVE her THE SLIP. 

1751. SMOLLETT, Peregrine Pickle, 
Ixxiii. I told him [a doctor] as how I 
could SLIP MY CABLE without his direction 
or assistance. 

1772. BRIDGES, Homer Burlesqued, 
109. Both those blades had SLIPT THEIR 
WIND, And in their rough fir coffins bound, 
Were safe from brabbles under ground. 

C.T. 796. WOLCOT, P. Pindar, 69. And 
for their cats that happed TO SLIP THEIR 
BREATH, Old maids, so sweet, might 
mourn themselves to death. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 177. The sequel proved . . . 
that many things FALL out BETWEEN THE 

CUP AND THE LIP. 

1827. LYTTON, Pelham, Ixxvii. Oh, 
oh 1 Sir Reginald thought of GIVING ME 
THE SLIP, eh ? 

1856. READE, Never Too Late, &c., 
x. Give him the right stuff, doctor . . . 
and he won't SLIP HIS WIND this time. 

1883. Century Mag., xxxvi. 279. 
SLIP UP in my vernacular? How could I ? 
I talked it when I was a boy with the 
other boys. 

1886. Field, 25 Sep. In agonies of 
fear lest our stag should GIVE us THE SLIP. 

SLIP-ALONG. See SLIPSHOD. 

SLIP-GIBBET (-HALTER, -ROPE, 
-STRING, or -THRIFT), subs. phr. 
(old). A prodigal ; one deserving 
of (or who has cheated) the gal- 
lows (GROSE). 

[ ? ]. MS. Bright, 170, f. i. Such a 
SLIPPSTRING trick As never till now befell 
us heretofore. 



Slippery. 



252 



Slip-shop. 



1593. MARLOWE, Lusts' Dominion 
[DoosLEY, Old Plays(i%j6), xiv. 149.] As 
I hope for mercy, I am half persuaded that 
this SLIP-HALTER has pawned my clothes. 

1594. LYLY, Mother Bombie, ii. i. 
Thow art a SLIPSTRING I'le warrant. 

1611. COTGRAVE, Diet. s.v. Young 
rascals or scoundrels, rakehells, or SLIP- 
STRINGS. 

1619. FLETCHER, A King and No 
King, ii. Well, SLIP-STRING, I shall meet 
with you. 

1621. GRANGER, Eccles, 273. Thus 
it is in the house of prodigals, drinking 
SLIPTHRIFTS, and Belials. 

^.1637. DEKKER, Londons Tempe. We 
are making arrowes for my SLIP-STRING 
sonne. 



SLIPPERY, subs, (thieves'). Soap: 
Fr. glissant. 

Adj. and adv. (old colloquial : 
now recognised). Untrust- 
worthy ; false ; wanton. Also 
SLIPPER, SLIPPY, and SLIP-SKIN. 
Whence SLIPPERY - FELLOW (or 
-TRICK) = ' deceitful' (B. E.) : 
1 one on whom there can be no 
dependance ' (GROSE). 

i55?/ J- BRENDE, Tr. Quintus Cur- 
tius, vii. Fortune ... is SLIPPER, and 
cannot bee kept against her will. 

[ ? ]. Political Poems [E. E. T. S.], 
60. He . . . ofhisherte. . . hathSLiPER 
holde. 

[ ? ]. TAVERNER, Adag., C.i. Let 
this example teach menne not to truste on 
the SLIPPERNESSE of fortune. 

[ ? ]. Parad. of Dainty Devices, .3. 
SLIPPER joy of certain pleasure here. 

1579. SPENSER, Shepheards Kal., 
Nov. 153. And SLIPPER hope Of mortal 
men that swinck and sweate for nought. 
Ibid. , Sep. Long time he used this SLIP- 
PERY prank. 

1580. LYLY, Euphues [OLIPHANT, 
New Eng., i. 606. Adjectives are em- 
ployed in new senses as A SLIPPERY 
PRANKE, a broad jest . . . ]. 

rf.ist?]. TOTTENHAM, Works, i. 4. 
Because it is more currant and SLIPPER 
upon the tongue, and withal tunable and 
melodious. 



1602. SHAKSPEARE, Othello, ii. i, 
246. A SLIPPER and subtle knave. Ibid. 
(1604), Winter's Tale, i. 2. My wife is 
SLIPPERY. Ibid. (1610), Coriol., iv. 4. O 
world, thy SLIPPERY turns. 

d.T.6oj. BARNES, Works, 283. I know 
they bee SLIPPER that I have to do wyth, 
and there is no holde of them. 

1619. FLETCHER, King and No 
King, ii. i. Servants are SLIPPERY : but 
I dare give my word for her and her 
honesty [chastity]. 

1641-2. MILTON, Animad. Rem. De- 
fence. A pretty SLIP-SKIN conveyance to 
sift mass into no mass. Ibid. (1641), Prel. 
Epis. Some bad and SLIPPERY men in 
that councell. 

2. (common). Quick. 

1902. KERNAHAN, Scoundrels, vii. 
We must look SLIPPY about it ... It's 
lucky I haven't far to go. 

SLIP-SHOD, adj. (colloquial). 
Careless ; slovenly. [That is 
'slipper-shod.'] Also SLIP-ALONG, 
SLIP-SLOP. 

1605. SHAKSPEARE, Lear, i. 5. Thy 
wit shall ne'er go SLIPSHOD. 

1818. SCOTT, Heart of Midlothian, 
i. A sort of appendix to the half bound, 
and SLIP-SHOD volumes of the circulating 
library. 

1849. MAITLAND, Reformation, 559. 
It would be less worth while to read Fox's 
SLIP-ALONG stories. 

1885. D. Tel., 29 Aug. Stilted 
phraseology is preferable to SLIP-SHOD. 

SLIP-SLOP, subs.phr. (colloquial). 
i. A blunder. As adj. = slovenly, 
inaccurate : cf. SLIPSHOD. 

. 1797. D'ARBLAY, Diary, iv. 14. He 
told us a great number of comic SLIP-SLOPS 
of the first Lord Baltimore, who made a 
constant misuse of one word for another. 

1849. KINGSLEY, Alton Locke, 
xxxviii. His . . . SLIP-SLOP trick of using 
the word natural to mean, in one sentence, 
' material,' and in the next, as I use it, only 
' normal and orderly. ' 

2. (common). In//. = Shoes 
(or slippers) down at the heels : 
also (Norfolk) SLIP-SHOE. 



Slip-thrift. 



253 



Slog. 



Adj. (colloquial). Here and 
there ; * all over the shop ' : also 
SLIP-SLAP and -verb. 

1721. CENTLIVRE, The Artifice, iii. 
I ha' found her fingers SLIP-SLAP this a-\vay 
and that a-way, like a flail upon a wheat- 
sheaf. 

1870. FARJEON, Griff, 105. The dirty, 
broken bluchers in which Griff's feet SLIP- 
SLOPPED constantly. 

See SLOP. 
SLIP-THRIFT. See SLIP-GIBBET. 

SLIT, subs, (venery). I. The female 
pudendum: see MONOSYLLABLE 
(HALLIWELL). 

1647-8. HERRICK, Hesperides, ' Upon 
Scobble.' Good Sir, make no more cuts i' 
th' outward skin, One SLIT'S enough to let 
Adultry in. 

2. (old). A pocket. 

i 2 [?]. King Horn. [E. E. T. S.], 61. 
Thu most habbe redi mitte Twenti Marc 
ine thi SLITTE. 

SLITHER, verb, (common). i. To 
slip ; to make away ; to smooth ; 
and 3. (American) = to hurry. 

Also SLITHERY = SLIPPERY (q.V.). 

1857. HUGHES, Tom Brown's School- 
day s> ii. iv. After getting up three or four 
feet they came SLITHERING to the ground, 
barking their arms and faces. 

1857. KINGSLEY, Two Years Ago, 
xxiv. Gay girls SLITHERED past him, 
looked round at him, but in vain. 

18... TENNYSON, Northern Cobbler. 
Once of a frosty night, I SLITHERED and 
hurted my buck. 

1886. Field, 13 Feb. You could not 
estimate the distance or direction to which 
your horse might SLITHER. 

1901. WALKER, In the Blood, 244. 
They might 'a' SLITHERED with your 
goods if you 'adn't been so mighty sharp 
with your hands. 

SLIVE, verb, (old colloquial). To 
sneak or lounge away ; to idle. 
SLIVE-ANDREW = a good-for- 



nothing ; SLIVERLY = artful ; 
SLiviNG = idle. To LET SLIVE 
(American) = to let fly. 

1707. CENTLIVRE, Platonick Love, 
iv. I know her gown agen : I minded her 
when she SLIV'D OFF. Ibid. (1710), The 
Mans Bewitched, iii. The SLIVING 
baggage will not come to a resolution yet. 

1725. BAILY, Erasmus, 41. What 
are you a SLIVING about, you drone ? You 
are a year a lighting a candle. 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life. As soon 
as I clapped peeper on him I let SLIVER, 
when the varmint dropped. 

SLOBBER, subs, (printers'). Badly 
distributed ink. 

Verb, (colloquial). i. To kiss 
effusively. Also as subs, and 

SLABBERING. 

1583. STUBBES, Amat. Abuses, 114. 
What bussing, what smouching, and SLAB- 
BERING one of another. 

a?. 1897. MARSHALL, Pomes, 36. The 
amatory SLOBBER which is comforting but 
low. 

2. (colloquial). To scamp 
work : also TO SLOBBER OVER. 

SLOBBERDEGULLION. See SLUB- 

BERDEGULLION. 

SLOBBERER, subs, (provincial). i. 
A slovenly farmer ; and (2) a 
jobbing tailor (HALLIWELL). 

SLOBGOLLION, subs, (nautical). 
'Whaleman's term for an oozy, 
stringy substance found in sperm 
oil' (C. RUSSELL). 

S LOG, subs, (common). i. A blow; 
and (2) a bout of fisticuffs. As 
verb. = (i) to hit, or work hard ; 
(2) to PUNISH (.z/.), to pound 
(pugilists'), and (3) to tackle a 
matter seriously. Whence SLOG- 
GING-MATCH = a hard fight or 
tussle ; SLOGGER = (i) a pugilist 
given to hard hitting, and (2) a 



Slogger. 



254 



Slop. 



steady worker ; SLOGGING = a 
beating, a fight ; and TO HAVE A 
SLOG ON = to put on a spurt. In 
America the spelling SLUG, SLUG- 
GER, &c., is accepted. 

1853. BRADLEY, Verdant Green. 
His whole person put in Chancery, slung, 
bruised, fibbed, propped, fiddled, SLOGGED, 
and otherwise ill-treated. 

1857. HUGHES, Tom Brown's School- 
days, i. v. The SLOGGER pulls up at last 
. . . fairly blown. 

1878. LANG, Ballad of Boat-race. 
They catch the stroke, and they SLOG it 
through. 

1885. Standard, i Dec. He was a 
vigorous SLOGGER, and heartily objected 
to being bowled first ball. 

1886. Phil. Times, 6 May. There 
was some terrible SLOGGING . . . Cleary 
planted two rib-roasters, and a tap on 
Langdon's face. 

1887. Fun, 9 Nov., 201. He had a 
1 ' merry mill " with a Thames bargee, 
known as "Jim the SLOGGER," and the 
SLOGGER . . . got the worst of the scrap. 

1891. Times, 14 Sep. 'Capital 
Punishment.' They top a lag out here [W. 
Aus.] for SLOGGING a screw. 

[ ? ]. E. B. MICHELL, Boxing and 
Sparring [Century], 162. SLOGGING and 
hard hitting with the mere object of doing 
damage . . . earn no credit in the eyes 
of a good judge. 

2. (public schools'). A large 
portion : spec, a big slice of cake. 

SLOGGER, subs. (Camb. Univ.). i. 
A boat in the second division : cor- 
responding to the Oxford Torpids. 

See SLOG. 



SLOP, subs, (colloquial). T. In//. 
= liquid food : spec, weak tea : or 
' any thin beverage taken medicin- 
ally' (GROSE): also SLIP-SLOP. 
As adj. = feeble, poor, weak ; as 
verb. = to eat or drink greedily, TO 
MOP UP (q.v.) : also TO SLOP (or 
SLAP) UP, or TO SLOP IT ; SLOP- 



PING-UP = a drinking bout ; SLOP- 
FEEDER = a tea-spoon; SLOP- 
TUBS = tea-things ; SLIP-SLOPPY 
= slushy, watery. 

1515. De Generibus Ebriosorum, &c. 
[HODGKIN, Notes and Queries, 3 S. vii. 
163. In this treatise occurs names of fancy 
drinks ... I select a few of the most pre- 
sentable] SLIP-SLOP . . . Raise-head . . . 
Swell-nose. 

1566. STILL, Gammer Gurton's 
Needle [DODSLEY, Old Plays (REED), iii. 
193]. To SLOP UP milk. 

1675. COTTON, Burlesque on Bur- 
lesque, 187. No, thou shalt feed instead 
of these Or your SLIP-SLAPS of curds and 
whey On Nectar and Ambrosia. 

1692. DRYDEN, Juvenal, vi. 772. But 
thou, whatever SLOPS she will have 
brought, Be thankful. 

^.1704. LESTRANGE, Works [Century]. 
The sick husband here wanted for neither 
SLOPS nor doctors. 

1821. COMBE, Dr. Syntax, m. i. At 
length the coffee was announced . . . ' And 
since the meagre SLIP-SLOP'S made, I think 
the call should be obeyed.' 

01.1832. EDGWORTH, Rose, Thistle and 
Shamrock, iii. 2. Does he expect tea can 
be keeping hot for him to the end of time ? 
He'll have nothing but SLOP-DASH. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingold. Leg., n. 291. 
There was no taking refuge . . . On a 
SLIP-SLOPPY day, in a cab or a bus. 

1900. FLYNT, Tramps. Ypnkers 
Slim was going to meet him m Washington 
with some money, and the bums in- 
tended to have a great SLOPPIN'-UP. 

2. (nautical). In //. = ' Wear- 
ing apparel and bedding used by 
seamen ' (GROSE). Hence ready- 
made clothing. SLOP-SELLER = 
a dealer in ready-made clothes 
(GROSE) ; SLOP - CHEST = a ship's 
supply of clothes and bedding : 
usually doled out at cost price ; 
SLOP-BOOK = the register of sup- 
plies ; SLOP-WORK = (i) the 
cheapest : hence (2) any work 
poorly done; SLOPPY = ill-fitting. 
[Originally ' an outer garment 
made of linen ' (WRIGHT)]. 



Slop. 



255 Sloped s Island. 



1530. PALSGRAVE, Lang, Francoyse. 
Payre of SLOPPE HOSES, braiettes a, 
marinier. 

1555. EDEN, Works [ARBER], 327. 
[OLIPHANT, New English, i. 535. We 
hear of mariner's SLOPPES ; this old word 
for vestes seems henceforth to have been 
restricted to seamen.] 

1772. BRIDGES, Homer Burlesque, 
205. One kept a SLOP-SHOP in Rag Fair. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Lon. Lab., 11. 
47. It was good stuff and good make . . . 
that's the reason why it always bangs a 

SLOP. 

1882. Queen, 7 Oct. It must not be 
imagined that, to be easy, dress must 
necessarily be SLOPPY. 

1886. D. News., 3 Dec. The harsh 
oppressive middleman, and the heartless 
indifferent SLOPSELLER have sat for their 
portraits again and again. 

1887. Fish, of U. S., v. 2. 226 {.Cen- 
tury}. If a poor voyage has been made, 
or if the man has drawn on the SLOP- 
CHEST . . . [so] as to ruin his credit, he 
becomes bankrupt ashore. 

3. (common). A tailor. 

4. (back slang). A police- 
man : a corruption of ' esclop.' 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Lond. Lab. I 
wish I'd been there to have a shy at the 
ESCLOPS. 

.1870. Music Hall Song [S. J. & C.]. 
Never to take notice of vulgar nicknames, 
such at SLOP, "copper," "rabbit-pie 
shifter," "peeler." 

1886. SIMS, Ballads of Babylon . . . 
I dragged you in here and saved you, and 
sent out a gal for the SLOPS. 

1887. Fun, 9 Nov., 201. A vanishing 
point [is] the corner you bunks round when 
the SLOP'S after yer. 

1899. WHITEING, John St. , 49. She 
is Boadicea ... a right-down raughty gal 
leading her alley to battle against the 
Roman SLOPS. 

5. (Christ's Hospital). A term 
of contempt. 

Verb. (colloquial). I. To 
make a mess ; to walk or work 
in the wet. 



1888. MURRAY, Weaker Vessel, xi. 
He came SLOPPING on behind me, with the 
peculiar sucking noise at each footstep 
which broken boots make on a wet and 
level pavement. 

To SLOP OVER, verb. phr. 
(colloquial). To enter into with 
enthusiasm, and speak, write, or 
act like a fool ; to put on SIDE 
(q.v.) ; to make a mistake. 

1859. BROWNE, Fourth o/ July Ora- 
tion [Works (1899), 124]. The pievailin' 
weakness of most public men is TO SLOP 
OVER . . . They get filled up and SLOP. 
They rush things. Washington never 
SLOPPED OVER. 

1888. Harper's Mag., Ixxviii. 818. 
One of his great distinctions was his 
moderation . , . he never SLOPPED OVER. 



SLOPE, verb, (common). To run 
away ; to BUNK (q.v.). As subs. 
= an escape : e.g. , TO DO A 

SLOPE. 

i8[?]. Ballad of Blouzelinda [BART- 
LETT]. He . . . made a SLOPE, and went 
off to Texas. 

1844. HALIBURTON, The Attache, 
xxvii. They jist run like a flock of sheep 
... and SLOPE off, properly skeered. 

1847. ROBB, Squatter Life. The 
Editor of the "Eagle" cannot pay his 
board bill, and fears are entertained that 
he will SLOPE without liquidating the debt. 

c.i866. VANCE, Chick-a-leary Cove. 
Now, my pals, I'm going to SLOPE, See 
you soon again I hope. 

1897. MARSHALL, Pomes, 17. So she 
SLOPED from her Brummy. 

2. (Old Cant). See quot. 

1610. ROWLANDS, Martin Mark-all 
[Hunt. Club Rep. (1874), 38]. Cowch a 
hogshead ... is like an Alminacke that 
is out of date ; now the duch word TO 
SLOPE is with them vsed to sleepe, and 
liggen, to lie downe. 



SLOPER'S ISLAND, subs. phr. (Lon- 
don). A weekly tenement 
neighbourhood : spec. c. 1870 the 
Artisan's Village near Lough- 
borough Junction, originally in 



Stopper. 



256 



Slouch. 



the midst of fields; now in the 
centre of a densely populated 
neighbourhood. 

SLOPPER, subs. (The Leys School). 
A slop basin : cf. FOOTER, 
BREKKER, &c. 

SLOPPY, adj. (colloquial). Loose ; 
slovenly. 

1890. Academy, 29 Mar., 218. [To] 
teach a great number of sciences and lan- 
guages in an elementary and SLOPPY way. 

SLOSH, subs, (common). A drink. 
1888. Cornhill Mag., Oct. Bar- 
meat and corn-cake washed down with a 
generous SLOSH of whiskey. 

Verb. (American). Togo here 
and there ; TO KNOCK ABOUT (g.v.). 

1854. Cairo (111.) Times, Nov. To 
walk backward and forward through the 
crowd, with a big stick in his hand, and 
knock down every loose man in the crowd. 
That's what I call SLOSHING ABOUT. 

1876. CLEMENS, Tom Sawyer, 67. 
How could [witches'] charms work till 
midnight ? and then it's Sunday. Devils 
don't SLOSH AROUND much of a Sunday. 

1888. Detroit Free Press, 8 Dec. 
When I was a young man I had to SLOSH 
AROUND dark, wet nights in rubbers that 
didn't fit. 

SLOSH ER, subs. (Cheltenham Col- 
lege). A boarding-house assis- 
tant : they are charged with 
superintending dormitories, the 
evening work, &c. 

SLOUCH, subs, (old and still collo- 
quial). I. A clumsy lout, an 
idler ; hence (2) anything indif- 
ferent : usually in phrase ' no 
SLOUCH ' ; and (3) an awkward 
lumpish gait. As verb. to walk 
lumpishly or sullenly; SLOUCH- 
ING (or SLOUGHY) = awkward, 
ungainly, heavy (GROSE). 

[ ? ]. MS. Gloucester . . . SLOWCH, 
a lazy lubber, who has nothing tight about 
him, with his stockings about his heels, his 
clothes unbutton'd, and his hat flapping 
about his ears. 



374. 



1570. LEVINS, Manip. Vocal. 
[E. E. T. S.], 217. A SLOUKE, iners, ertis, 
ignarus. 

1578. WHETSTONE, Promos and 
Cassandra, 47. Thou filthie fine SLOUCH. 

l6 33- JONSON, Tale of a Tub, iv. 5. 
I think the idle SLOUCH Be fallen asleep in 
the barn. 

1705. WARD, Hud. Rediv., I. vii. 20. 
You sooty, smutty, nasty SLOUCH. 

1714. GAY, Shepherd's Week, \. 
Begin thy carols then, thou vaunting 
SLOUCH ; Be thine the oaken staff, or mine 
the pouch. 

d. 1745. SWIFT, Works [Century}. Our 
doctor . . . hath a sort of SLOUCH in his 
walk. 

1785. COWPER, Task, iv. 639. He 
stands erect ; his SLOUCH becomes a walk. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingolds. Leg., ii. 
In a few minutes his . . . figure was 
seen SLOUCHING UP the ascent. 

1866. ELIOT, Felix Holt, Intro. 
The shepherd with a slow and SLOUCHING 
walk . . . moved aside, as if unwillingly. 

1869. CLEMENS, The Innocents at 
Home, ii. He was always nifty himself, 
and so you bet his funeral ain't going to be 
no SLOUCH. 

1870. Chambers' Journal, 9 July, 
447. He sees a SLOUCHING, shambling 
hulk of a fellow standing listlessly in a 
doorway. 

1877. Scribner's Mag., Sep., 510. 
Bow-legged, SLOUCHY, ungraceful and 
inactive. 

1877. Century Ma/-., xxv. 176. 
Looking like a SLOUCHY country bumpkin. 

1881. O. W. HOLMES, Old Volume 
of Life, 58. They looked SLOUCH v, list- 
less, torpid an ill conditioned crew. 

1885. West. Rev., cxxv. 85. He had 
a long, strong, uncouth body ; rather 
rough-hewn SLOUCHING features. 

iSt?]^ H. KENDALL, Billy Vickers. 
He has, in fact, the SLOUCH and dress, 
Which bullock-puncher stamp him. 

1885. D. Tel., 14 Sep. A child 
taken by a SLOUCHING villain. 

1887. MORLEY ROBERTS, Western 
Avernus. A rustler . . . means a worker, 
an energetic man, and no SLOUCH can be a 
rustler. 

1899. WHITEING, John St., xi. It is 
near bedtime, and those ... to stay for 
the night are SLOUCHING to the lairs. 



Slour. 



257 



Slug. 



4. (common). A slouch-hat 
(i.e., a hat with a broad and 
drooping brim). 

1818. SCOTT, Midlothian, xliii. 
Even the old bat looked smarter ... in- 
stead of SLOUCHING backward or forward 
on the laird's head, as it was thrown on. 
Ibid., iii. A sailor's cap SLOUCHED over 
his face. 

1871. Scribner's Mag., Sep. A big, 
farmer-looking fellow in a SLOUCH-HAT. 

1889. Harper's Mag., Ixxix. 38. 
Middle-aged men in SLOUCH HATS lounee 
around with hungry eyes. 

SLOUR, adv. (Old Cant).' To lock 
up ; to fasten ; to button up one's 
coat; to make all secure' (GROSE). 

1834. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, iii. v. 
No SLOUR'D hoxter my snipes could stay. 

SLOW, subs, (old colloquial). A 
sluggard ; a lazybones. 

[ ? ]. M.S. Douce, 52 [HALLIWELL]. 
Lothe to bedde and lothe fro bedde, men 
schalle know the SLOW. 

Adv. (colloquial). i. Stupid ; 
spiritless; tedious. 

1855. THACKERAY, Newcomes, xlix. 
The party was what you young fellows 
call SLOW. 

i86[?]. F. LOCKER, Reply to a Letter. 
The girls I love now vote me SLOW. 

1874. Siliad, 97. Whither shall we 
go? The Judge and Jury? No, that's 
awful SLOW. 

2. (Winchester). Ignorant of 
Winchester NOTIONS (q.v.~). 

SLOW- BACK, subs, phr, (old). A 
loafer. 

1619. FAVOUR, A ntiq. Triumph over 
Novelty, 63. The SLOW-BACKS and lazie 
bones uill none of this. 

SLOWCOACH, subs, (colloquial). i. 
A dullard ; a lout. Also (2) a 
dawdler. Hence (3) an antique ; 
a fossil. 

1857. E. B. RAMSAY, Scottish Life 
and Character, 114. I dare say the girl 
you are sending will be very useful to us : 
our present one is a very SLOW-COACH. 



SLOW-UP, subs. phr. (colloquial). 
A slackening of speed. Also as 
verb. = to go easy. 

SLUBBERDEGULLION, suds. (old). 
* A slovenly, dirty, nasty Fellow ' 
(B. E. and GROSE). Also SLAB- 
BERDEGULLION. As adj. = paltry, 
dirty. 

1619. FLETCHER, Custom of tJte 
Country, i. 2. Yes, they are knit ; but 
must this SLUBBERDEGULLION Have her 
maidenhead now? 

1630. TAYLOR, Laugh and be Fat, 
73. Contaminous, pestiferous, preposter- 
ous, stygmatical Slavonians, SLUBBERDE- 
GULLIONS. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, i. xxv. 
Calling them . . . slapsauce fellows, 
SLABBERDEGULLION druggels, lubbardly 
louts . . . 

1656. Mus. Del., 79. He's an oxe, 
and an asse, and a SLUBBERDEGULLION. 

1663. BUTLER, Hudibras, i. iii. 885. 
Thow hast deserved, Base SLUBBERDEGUL- 
LION, to be served As thou didst vow to 
deal with me. 

SLUED. See SLEWED. 

SLUG, subs, (old colloquial). 
Generic for sloth. Thus (i)=a 
drone, a lazybones : also SLUG-A- 
BED, and (now accepted) SLUG- 
GARD ; 2. (old) = a hindrance ; 
and (3) = a slow-paced boat, horse, 
&c., or (B. E.) a dull-edged tool. 
As adj. (also SLUGGISH and 
SLUGGY) = lazy, slow ; as verb. = 
(i) to laze, and (2) to hinder. 

1383. CHAUCER, Cant. Tales, ' The 
Parson's Tale.' Then cometh . . . SLUGGY 
slumbring which maketh a man hevy. 

1440. Prompt. Parv., 460. SLUGGYN, 
desidio, torpeo. 

i 4 [?]. Political Poems [E. E. T. S.], 
32. The SLUGGE lokyth to be holpe of 
God that commawndyth men to waake in 
the worlde. 

1590. SPENSER, Fairy Queen, n. i. 
23, 3. To SLUG in slouth and sensuall de- 
lights. Ibid. (^.1599), State of Ireland. 
He lay not all night SLUGGING in a cabin 
under his mantle. 



Slug. 



258 



Slum. 



15513. SHAKSPEARE, Comedy of Er- 
rors, ri. 2. Thou drone, thou snail, thou 
SLUG. Ibid. (1595), Romeo and Juliet, iv. 
5, 2. Why, lamb ! why, lady ! fie, you 

SLUG- A- BED. 

1605. BACON, Adv. of Learning. 
They are . . . hindrances to stay and 
SLUG the ship for further sailing. Ibid. 
(1597-1624), Essays, 'Of Usury.' Money 
would be stirring if it were not for this 
SLUGGE. 

1611. COTGRAVE, Diet., s.v. Paresser. 
To SLUGGE it, to laze it, to liue idly. 

1621. BURTON, Anat. Melan, III. 
n. iii. i. A SLUG, a fat lustilugs. 

1635. QUARLES, Emblems [NARES]. 
One spends his day in plots, his night in 
play ; another sleeps and SLUGS both night 
and day. Ibid., i. 13. Lord, when we 
leave the world and come to thee, How 
dull, how SLUG are we. 

1641. MILTON, Reformation inEng., 
i. It is still episcopacy that . . . worsens 
and SLUGGS the most learned and seeming 
religions of our ministers. 

1648. HERRICK, Hesperides, 'To 
Corinna Going a-Maying." Get up sweet 
SLUG-A-BED, And see the dew bespangles 
herb and tree. 

1652. SHIRLEY, Brothers . . . Car. 
Will none deliver me? Lu. They are 
somewhat SLUG. 

1659. GAUDEN, Tears of the Church, 
381. Which soon grew a SLUG, when once 
the North-wind ceased to fill its sailes. 

1666. PEPYS, Diary, 17 Oct. His 
rendevouz for his fleet and for all SLUGGS 
to come. 

. Ency. Brit., xii. 199. A SLUG 
rmst be kep* -'-- - 
petuous one restran 



[horse] must be kept going, and an im- 
trained. 



4. (old). A dram. Hence TO 
FIRE (or CANT) A SLUG = to drink 
(GROSE). 

1762. SMOLLETT, L. Greaves, n. v. 
He ordered the waiter ... to ... bring 
alongside a short allowance of brandy or 
grog that he might CANT A SLUG into his 
breadroom. 

5. (American). An ingot of 
gold ; a twenty - dollar piece 
(Ency. Diet.}, but in Century 
Diet, 'a gold coin of the value 



of fifty dollars privately issued in 
San Francisco during the mining 
excitement of 1849.' 

1890. San Francisco Bulletin, 10 
May. An interesting reminder of early 
days in California in the shape of a round 
fifty-dollar SLUG. . . . But fifty of these 
round fifty-dollar pieces were issued when 
orders came from the East prohibiting pri- 
vate coinage. 

SLUGGER. See SLOGGER. 

SLUICE, verb, (common). i. The 
mouth : also SLUICE-HOUSE. As 
verb. : e.g., TO SLUICE THE BOLT 
(DOMINOES, GOB, or IVORIES) = 
to drink heartily : see DOM I NOES 
(GROSE). Whence SLUICERY = 
a public-house (GROSE). 

1840. EG AN, Book of Sports. Sam's 
SLUICE-HOUSE was again severely damaged. 

2. (venery). The female pzi- 
dendum: see MONOSYLLABLE. 



BROWN, Works, ii. 184. That 
whore, my wife . . . that us'd to open her 
SLUICE ... to gratify her concupiscense. 

Verb, (colloquial). To paddle; 
to bathe (or wet) freely. 

^.1859. DEQUINCEY, Works (Century). 
He dried his neck and face which he had 
been SLUICING with cold water. 

1860. RUSSELL, Diary in India, i. 4. 
The great seas . . . SLUICING the decks 
with a mimic ocean. 

To SLUICE OFF, verb. phr. 
(American). To divert ; to lay 
aside. 

1862. Congregationalist, 3 June. 
Some of present earning must thus be 
SLUICED OFF, to repair the poverty of the 



SLUM, s^lbs. (old and thieves'). i. 
Nonsense ; a trick ; a swindle : 
e.g., a sham begging letter, a roll 
of ' snide ' notes, &c. Hence UP 
TO SLUM = knowing, not to be 

HAD (q.V.) ; TO FAKE THE SLUM 
= to do the trick. 2 (old) = idle 
talk (see quots. 1821 and 1823). 



Slum. 



259 



Slump. 



As verb. = (i) to trick, to cheat ; 
and (2) to talk idly, or to speak 
slang. 

^.1821. RANDALL, Diary (GROSE, 3rd 
ed. [1823]). And thus, without more SLUM, 
began. 

1823. BEE, Diet. Turf, s.v. SLUM 
loose ridiculous talk is all SLUM ! ' None 
of your SLUM ' is said by a girl to a blarney- 
ing chap . . . The gypsy language, or 
cant, is SLUM . . . Dutch Sam excelled in 
SLUMMERY ' Willus youvus givibus glasso 
ginibus.' 

1851. MAYHEW, Lond. Lab. That 
was his leading SLUM, and pretty well he 
sponged them too. Ibid. (1856), Gt. 
World of London, 46. Screevers or the 
writers of SLUMS and fakements. 

2. (old). Originally a room 
[GROSE : also see quots. 1823, 
s.v. sense I and infra]. Also 3 
(modern) = a squalid street or 
neighbourhood ; a ROOKERY 
(q.v.) : usually in//, with 'back.' 
As verb. = (i) to explore poor 
quarters out of curiosity or charity ; 
2 (Univ.) to keep to back streets 
to avoid observation ; and 3 
(common) to keep in the back- 
ground. 

1823. BEE, Diet. Turf, s.v. SLUM 
. . . also the room in which persons meet 
who talk in that style [see sense i] ; thus 
we may have ' the little SLUM,' or ' the 
great SLUM,' 'a dirty SLUM,' or ' a pretty 
SLUM,' ' the back SLUM,' and a SLUM in 
front. Derived from slumber, to sleep, 
the molls and coves napping nine winks at 
those places. 

1823. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, 
ii. 3. Let's have a dive amongst the 
cadgers in the back SLUMS in the Holy 
Land. 

1872. BLACK, Adv. of Phaeton, xviii. 
When one gets clear of the suburban 
SLUMS and the smoke of Liverpool, a very 
respectable appearance of real country-life 
becomes visible. 

1884. Referee, 22 June. A wealthy 
lady went SLUMMING through the Dials 
the other day. 

1885. Echo, 8 Sep. There is little in 
the author's observations on SLUMS and 
SLUM LIFE that has not been said before. 



^.1894. YATES, London Life, i. ii. 
Gone is the Rookery, a conglomeration of 
SLUMS and alleys in the heart of St. Giles's. 

1897. MARSHALL, Pomes, 74. It 
was really a SLUM, where the greens 
always hum. Ibid., 97. But it [love] 
wouldn't be SLUMMED like a worm in the 
bud. 

4. (thieves'). A letter, a 
package : anything in hand. 

5. (Punch and Judy). The 
call ; SLUM- FAKE = the coffin ; 
SLUMMING = acting. 

1872. BRADHON, Dead Sea Fruit, 
xiv. The gorger's awfully coally on his 
own SLUMMING, eh? 

SLUMGULLION, subs. (American). 
i. A representative ; a servant 
[BARTLETT]. 

SLUMGUZZLE, verb. (American). 
To deceive. Hence SLUM- 
GUZZLING = humbuggery [BART- 
LETT]. 

SLUM MY, subs, (common). A ser- 
vant-girl. 

SLUMP, subs. (Stock Exchange and 
colloquial). i. A sudden fall : 
of prices ; an ignominious failure : 
e.g.) a SLUMP in Kaffirs. As 
verb. = to fall heavily (Scots') 
SLUMP = all of a piece ; to come 
down with a rush. 

1888. H DWELLS, Annie Kilburn, 
xxv. What a SLUMP ! . . . That blessed 
shortlegged little seraph has spoilt the 
best sport that ever was. 

2. (common). A gross amount ; 
the whole: e.g. 'a SLUMP sum.' 
As verb. = \.Q lump, or group to- 
gether. 

^.1856. SIR W. HAMILTON, Works 
(Century). The different groups . . . are 
exclusively SLUMPED together under that 
sense. 

1870. W. MATHEWS, Getting on in 
the World, 20. SLUMPING the tempta- 
tions which were easy to avoid with those 
which were comparatively irresistible. 



Slung. 



260 



Sly. 



3. (American College). To 
recite badly ; to fail ; to bungle. 

SLUNG. SLUNG OUT ON HANDS 
AND KNEES, phr. (tailors'). In- 
stantly dismissed. 

SLUR, subs. verb. (B. E. and 
GROSE). i. 'A Cheat at Dice ; 
also a slight Scandal or Affront.' 
Hence (2) to cheat. 

1664. BUTLER, Hudibras, n. ii. 
What was the public faith found out for 
But to SLUR men out of what they fought 
for. Ibid., Remains, 'Misc. Thoughts.' 
Some flug'ring trick or SLUR. 

1680. Compleat Gamester, ii. SLUR- 
RING that is by taking up your dice as 
you will have them advantageously lie in 
your hand, placing the one atop the other, 
not caring if the uppermost run a mill- 
stone ... if the undermost run without 
turning. 

SLUSH, subs, (nautical). I. Food. 
Hence 2. (GROSE) = a foul 
feeder : also SLUSH-BUCKET ; 
SLUSHER (or SLUSHY), see quot. 
1890. Also 3 (old) = a drunkard. 

1890. Argus, 20 Sept., 13, 6. Sun- 
days are the most trying days of all, say 
the cuisiniers . . . This man's assistant is 
called the SLUSHER. 

1896. PATERSON, Man from Snowy 
River, 162. The tarboy, the cook, and 
the SLUSHY . . . with the rest of the 
shearing horde. 

4. (American journalists'). In- 
different matter; PADDING (q.v.). 

SLUT, subs. (old). i. A dirty 
housewife ; (2) = an awkward 
person or thing ; (3) a WENCH 
(q.v.) : cf. QUEAN ; (4) a bitch. 
As verb. = to befoul ; SLUTTERY 
(also SLUTTISHNESS) = neglect ; 
SLUTTISH = (i) wanton; and (2) 
untidy. 

14!?]. Babees Book [E. E. T. S.], 
158. Crabbe is a SLUTT to kerve, and a 
wrawd wight ; Breke euery clawe a 
sondur. 



1483. CHAUCER, Cant. Tales, ' Prol. 
to Canon Yeoman's Tale,' 83. Why is thy 
lord so SLUTTISH ? 

1596. SHAKSPEARE, Merry Wives of 
Windsor, v. v. 50. Our radiant queen 
hates SLUTS and SLUTTERY. 

1615. SYLVESTER, Tobacco Battered. 
Don Tobacco's damnable Infection SLUT- 
TING the Body. 

1648. HERRICK, Hesperides, 'Ex- 
cesse.' Excesse is SLUTTISH ; keepe the 
meane ; for why ? Vertue's clean con- 
clave is sobriety. 

1664. PEPYS, Diary, 21 Feb. Our 
little girl Susan is a most admirable SLUT, 
and pleases us mightily, doing more ser- 
vice than both the others; Ibid. (1665), 7 
Nov. He carried his glass with him fui 
his man to let him drink out of at the 
Duke of Albemarle's, where he intended to 
dine, though this he did to prevent SLUT- 
TERY. 

</.i704. BROWN, Works, i. 338. The 
young SLUT never looked so gay and 
pleasant in her life. 

1705. VANBRUGH, Confederacy, iii. 2. 
I have managed Master Gripe's little 
affairs for him these ten years, you SLUT, 
you ! 

1712. ADDISON, Spectator, No. 130. 
You see now and then some handsome 
young jades among them [gypsies]; the 
SLUTS have very often white teeth and 
black eyes. 

1862. THACKERAY, Philip, xiii. I 
gave my cousin this dog . . . and the little 
SLUT remembers me. 

SLY, adj. and adv. (GROSE). 
' Under the rose ; transacting 
business privately is frequently 
said to be done UPON THE SLY ' ; 
illicit : also BY THE SLY ; TO 
RUN SLY = to escape, to evade. 

c.i 787. Kilmainham Minit [Ireland 
Sixty Years Ago, 88]. But if dat de slang 
you RUN SLY, The scrag-boy may yet be 
outwitted, And I scout again on de lay. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Lon. Lab., i. 
318. A SLY trade's always the best for 
paying, and for selling too. 

1871-2. ELIOT, Middlemarch, 
Ixxviii. Selling myself for any devil's 
change BY THE SLY. 

1887. HENLEY, Culture in the Slums. 
I keeps a dado ON THE SLY. 



Slyboots. 



261 



Small. 



SLYBOOTS, subs, (old). A seem- 
ingly simple but really clever and 
designing fellow (B. E. and 
GROSE). 

c.iSSo. NORTH, Lives of the Norths, 
169. [Lord Guildford was nicknamed] 
SLYBOOTS. 

1729. ADDISON, Adv. ofAbdalla, 32. 
The frog call'd . . . several times, but in 
vain . . . though the SLY-BOOTS heard 
well enough all the while. 

SMABBLED (or SNABBLED), adj. 
(GROSE). Killed in battle. 

SMACK (B. E. <r.i686). i. 'A 
Twang or ill Taste.' 

2. (tailors'). A liking ; a 
fancy : e.g. ' He had a real 
SMACK for the old 'un ' : cf. (old 

colloquial) SMACKERING = ' a 
longing for' (BAILEY). 

3. (colloquial). A kiss : also 
SMACKER. Whence TO SMACK 
CALF'S SKIN (common) = to take 
oath. 

1786. 

CK s 

cadger's whip. 



BURNS, Jolly Beggars. Ilk 
SMACK still, did crack still, Just like a 
' 



1809. IRVING, Hist. N. York, 171. 
The gentlemen gallantly attended their fair 
ones to their respective abodes, and took 
leave of them with a hearty SMACK. 

1860. DICKENS, Uncom. Traveller, 
' Titbull's Almshouses." Heard the sound 
of a SMACK a SMACK which was not a 
blow. 

SMACK SMOOTH, phr. (collo- 
quial). ' Level with the surface ; 
everything cut away ' (GROSE). 

1790. DIBDIN, Poor Jack. Though 
the tempest the topgallant mast SMACK 
SMOOTH should smite. 

SMACKING-COVE, subs. phr. (Old 
Cant). A coachman (B. E., 
BAILEY and Grose). 

SMALL, subs, (colloquial). i. In 
pi. = breeches : spec, the close- 
fitting knee-breeches of the iSth 



and early igth centuries : also 

SMALL - CLOTHES [GROSE : ' A 
gird at the affected delicacy of the 
present age ; a suit being called 
coat, waistcoat, and articles or 
SMALL CLOTHES']. 

1812. COOMBE, Syntax, i. 20. His 
SMALL-CLOTHES sat so close and tight, His 
boots, like jet, were black and bright. 

1813. STEPHENS [Anti-Jacobin Rev. 
of Life of Home Took, quoted by 
SOUTHEY, Doctor, Interchap. xx.] His 
breeches he [STEPHENS] calls SMALL 
CLOTHES ; the first time we have seen this 
bastard term, the offspring of gross ideas 
and disgusting affectation, in print, in 
anything like a book. 

1818. BYRON, Beppo, iv. You'd 
better walk about begirt with briars, In- 
stead of coat and SMALL-CLOTHES. 

1836. DICKENS, Sketches, ' The Last 
Cabdriver.' His boots were of the Wel- 
lington form, pulled up to meet his 
corduroy knee-SMALLS. 

1840. HOOD, Miss Kilmansegg. 
Wear a negative coat and positive SMALLS. 

1869. STOWE, Oldtown, 52. His 
well-brushed Sunday coat and SMALL- 
CLOTHES. 

2. (Univ. Oxon). In //., see 
quots. LITTLE-GO is the Cam- 
bridge equivalent. Properly ' Re- 
sponsions.' 

.1840. E. A. FREEMAN [1823-92], 
Cont. Rev., li. 821. 'Greats,' so far as 
the name existed in my time, meant the 
Public Examination, as distinguished 
from Responsions, Little-go, or SMALLS. 

1853. BRADLEY, Verdant Green, 11. 
xi. The little gentleman was going in for 
his degree, alias Great-go, alias Greats ; 
and our hero for his first examination in 
literis humanioribus, alias Responsions, 
alias Little-go, alias SMALLS. 

1861. HUGHES, Tom Brovun at Ox- 
ford, x. In our second term we are no 
longer freshmen, and begin to feel our- 
selves at home, while both SMALLS and 
greats are sufficiently distant to be alto- 
gether ignored if we feel that way in- 
clined. 

1863. READE, Hard Cash .. . Julia 
reminded her that SMALLS was the new 
word for little go. 



Small-and- Early. 262 



Smart. 



1878. Scribner*s Mag-., Dec., 283. 
Looking forward with annoyance to the 
rather childish first examination, in Ox- 
ford language known as SMALLS. 

3. (theatrical). A one-night 
performance in a small town or 
village by a minor company carry- 
ing its own ' fit-up.' 

Adv. (colloquial). Timidly ; 
humbly : e.g. to SING (or SPEAK) 

SMALL (q.V.}. 

SMALL-AND - EARLY, subs. phr. 
(colloquial). An evening party: 
informal and breaking up at an 
early hour. 

1865. DICKENS, Mutual Friend, xi. 
For the clearing off of these worthies, Mrs. 
Podsnap added a SMALL AND EARLY even- 
ing to the dinner. 

SMALL BEER. subs. phr. (collo- 
quial). i. Weak beer ; hence 
(2) trifles. Whence TO CHRONICLE 
SMALL BEER = (i) to engage in 
trivial occupations, and (2) to 
retail petty scandal ; TO THINK 

SMALL BEER OF ANYTHING = to 

have a poor opinion of it. Also 

SMALL THINGS. As adj. = 

petty. 

1604. SHAKSPEARE, Othello, ii. i, 
161. To suckle fools and CHRONICLE 

SMALL BEER. 

</.i666. A BROME, Works [CHALMERS, 
vi. 648, i]. A dull SMALL-BEER sinner. 

1712. ADDISON, Spectator, 269, 8. 
I allow a double quantity of malt to my 

SMALL BEER. 

1832. SOUTHEY. The Doctor, Interch., 
xvi. He thought SMALL BEER at that time 
of some very great patriots and Queenites. 

1840. DE QUINCEY, Style \Works, xi. 
174]. Should express her self-esteem by the 
popular phrase, that she did not ' think 

SMALL BEER OF HERSELF.' 

1844. THACKERAY, Barry Lyndon, 
xiV. All the news of sport, assize, and 
quarter-sessions were detailed by this 
worthy CHRONICLER OF SMALL BEER. 
Ibid. (1855), Newcomes, xxxix. She 
THINKS SMALL BEER of painters, J. J. 
well, well, we don't THINK SMALL BEER of 
ourselves, my noble friend. 



1853. LYTTON, My Novel, iv. xii. 
n I say that sum un is gumptious, I 



When ' 

mean though that's more vulgar like 
sum un who does not THINK SMALL BEER 
of hisself. 

1880. Academy, 25 Sep., 219. Two 
such chroniclers of SMALL BEER as Boswell 
and Erskine. 

1902. Pall Mall Gaz., 19 Sep., i. 3. 
Vogler had reason to think no SMALL 
THINGS of himself. He was emphatically 
the popular man of his day ; he was fol- 
lowed by enthusiastic admirers. 

SMALL CAP O, subs. phr. (printers'). 
A second or inferior in com- 
mand ; an under overseer. 

SMALL CHEQUE, sttbs. phr. (nauti- 
cal). A dram ; a drink. To 

KNOCK DOWN A CHEQUE = to 

spend all in drink. 

SMALL FRY, subs. phr. (colloquial). 

Generic (i) for things little ; 

and (2) for things trifling or 

valueless. 

1888. BLACK, Houseboat, viii. While 
some of the SMALL FRY popped out their 
heads to have a look. 

SMALL HOURS, subs. phr. (collo- 
quial). The first three or four 
hours after midnight : usually 
' THE SMALL HOURS of the morn- 
ing.' Also SHORT HOURS. 
d. 1796. BURNS, Death and Dr. Horn- 
book. Some wee SHORT HOURS ayont the 
twal'. 

1903. D. Telegraph, 3 Jan. , 9, ' Paris 
Day by Day.' An extraordinary assault 
has been committed in a third-class car- 
riage of a train which left Paris in the 
SMALL HOURS of yesterday morning for 
Brussels. 

SMALL POTATOES. See POTATO. 

SMALL PILL, subs. phr. (The Leys 
School). A diminutive football : 
used on runs. 

SMART, adj. and adv. (colloquial). 
Generic for superior, out of the 
common, distinguished. [In senses 
I, 2, and 3 there is often, but not 
necessarily, an implied suspicion 
of something questionable.] (i) 



Smart. 



Smart. 



= lively, witty, pert (B. E.) : 
e.g., A SMART (= clever) BOOK ; 
A SMART ( = ready) REPLY ; A 
SMART (= bright) SAYING; A 
SMART (= sparkling) SPEECH ; A 
SMART (= brisk) LAD, &c. 2. = 
well-dressed, fashionable, bril- 
liant : e.g.) A SMART (= elegant 
and modish) FROCK; A SMART 
( = attractive and amusing) SHOW ; 
SMART ( = fashionable) SOCIETY : 
hence SMART, subs. = (i) a dandy 
(old), and (2) one in advance of 
the prevailing standard of good 
taste. 3. = quick, expert, shrewd: 
e.g.) A SMART (= precocious) 
CHILD; A SMART (= clever) 
WORKMAN ; A SMART ( = enter- 
prising) TRADESMAN ; A SMART 
( = capable, active and neat) SOL- 
DIER, SAILOR, HAND, &C. 4 
(American) = clever, knavish, and 
unscrupulous. 5 (prov. ) = cold : 
e.g., A SMART ( =biting) MORNING. 
6 (colloquial) = uncommon : e.g. , 
SMART (= hard) GOING ; SMART 
(= resolute and lively) HITTING ; 
SMART (= capable) WORK. As 
adv. = very, large, considerable, 
vigorously : with such derivatives 
and combinations as SMARTY 
(subs.), SMARTNESS (subs.), and 

SMARTISH {adj.}. 

[ ? ]. M.S. Cantab., Ff. ii. 38, f. 131 
[HALLIWELL]. The swynehorde toke out 
a knyfe SMERT. Ibid., Ff. v. 48, f. no. 
SMERTLV then she callis a knave. 

1383. CHAUCER, Cant. Tales, ' Gen. 
Prol.' 149. If men smot it with a yerde 

SMERTE. 

[ ? ]. Book of Precedence [E. E. T. S], 
i. 50. When thi seruantes haue do ther 
werke, To pay ther hyre loke thou be 

SMERTE. 

1641. MILTON, Def. of Humb. 
Remonstr., Pref. A voluble and SMART 
fluence of tongue. 

1662. FULLER, Worthies, Wiltshire, 
iii. 335. Thomas of Wilton wrote also a 
SMART Book on this subject. 

d.i6gg. STILLINGFLEET, Sermons, in. 
vii. These few words . . . contain a SMART 
and serious expostulation. 



</.i7oi. DRYDEN, Works [Century]. 
After show'rs The stars shine SMARTER. 

^.1704. Gentleman Instructed, 470. 
'Sirrah,' says the youngster, 'make me a 
SMART wig, a SMART one, ye dog !' The 
fellow blessed himself: he had heard of a 

SMART NAG, a SMART MAN, &C., but a 

SMART WIG was Chinese to the tradesman. 
. . . Within two days he had a SMART WIG 
with a SMART PRICE in the box. The truth 
is, he had been bred up with the groom, 
and translated the stable dialect into the 
dressing room. 

</.i704. BROWN, Works, ii. 123. I was 
a SMART child, and a smock-fac'd youth. 

1705. VANBRUGH, Confederacy, v. 2. 
There's no need to be so SMART upon him 
... If he's not a gentleman, he's a gentle- 
man's fellow. 

1708-10. SWIFT, Pol. Conv., Intro. 
So great a number of SMART TURNS of wit 
and humour as I have produced. 

1715. ADDISON, Drummer, iii. i. 
Thou'st very SMART my dear. But see ! 
Smoke the doctor. 

1739. TOWNLEY, High Life Below 
Stairs, ii. The gay sparkling Belle who 
the whole town alarms, And with eyes, 
lips, and neck, sets the SMARTS all in arms. 

1740. RICHARDSON, Pamela, i. 51. I 
bought . . . two pairs of ordinary blue 
worsted hose that made a SMARTISH ap- 
pearance with white clocks. Ibid. (1753), 
Grandison, iv. 292. Our cousin is looked 
upon amongst his brother libertines and 
SMARTS as a man of first consideration. 

1742. FIELDING, Joseph A ndrews, n. 
iv. All the SMARTS . . . were eclipsed in 
a moment. Ibid., in. iii. I resolved to 
quit all further conversation with beaux 
and SMARTS of every kind. 

J 753- Adventurer, 100. The scale 
consists of eight : Greenhorn, Jemmy, 
Jessamy, SMART, Honest Fellow, Joyous 
Spirit, Buck, and Blood. 

1785. COWPER, Task, iv. 468. And 
sighs for the SMART comrades he has left. 

c.i8i2. MAKER, The Night Before 
Larry was Stretched. He fetched a 
SMART BLOW at his head. 

181 1. AUSTEN, Sense and Sensibility, 
xix. I always preferred the church . . . 
but that was not SMART enough for my 
family. They recommended the army, but 
that was a great deal too SMART for me. 

1826. CROKER \Croker Papers, \. 
331]. Where there was a SMART young 
WAITER, whom, however, these two 
Englishmen used to row exceedingly. 



Smart. 



264 



Smash. 



1833. MARRYAT, Peter Simple, iv. 
Come, heave ahead, my lads, and be SMART. 

1835. HOFFMAN, Winter in tJie 
West. There's a SMART chance of cigars 
there in the bar. 

18^6. SCOTT, Cruise of Midge, 363. 
There's a SMART hand ... a good seaman 
evidently by the cut of his jib. 

1837. DICKENS, Pickwick Papers, ii. 
SMART chap that cabman . . . but . . . 
punch his head ! Ibid. (1844), Martin 
Chuzzlewit, xxxiii. Scadder is a SMART 
man, sir ... Scadder was a SMART MAN, 
and had drawed a lot of British capital 
that was as sure as sun-up . . . Wish he 
might be sifted fine as flour, and whittled 
small as chips ; that if they didn't come 
off that fixing right SMART too, he'd spill 
'em in the drink. Ibid. (1853), Bleak House, 
ix. I scarcely knew him again, he was so 
uncommonly SMART. 

1843. CARLTON, New Purchase, \. 
85. There was a SMART sprinkle of rattle- 
snakes on Red Rum, and a powerful nice 
day to sun themselves. 

1844. HALIBURTON, Attache, ix. He 
has a SMART chance of getting a better 
character. 

i8[?]. MACAULAY [TREVELYAN, i. 
202]. A SMART, impudent-looking young 
dog dressed like a sailor in a blue jacket 
and check shirt, marched up. 

1849. BRONTE, Shirley, xxiv. This 
stout lady in a quaint black dress, who 
looks young enough to wear much 
SMARTER raiment if she would. 

1852. Stray Yankee in Texas [BART- 
LETT]. A powerful SMART-looking chunk 
of a pony. 

1854. OLMSTED, Texas, 301. Each 
man's rations consisting of a pint of mould}* 
corn and a RIGHT SMART chunk of bacon. 

1856. STOWE, Dred, i. 209. She had 
RIGHT SMART of life in her. 

1861. KINGSLEY, Ravenshoe, xxxv. 
He's a prig, and a SMART one, too. 

1869. STOWE, Oldtown, 57. She 
was a little thin woman, but tough as 
Inger rubber, and SMART AS A STEEL TRAP. 

1884. CLEMENS, Huck. Finn, v. 34. 
I'll lay for you, mysMARTY, and if I catch 
you about that school I'll tan you good. 

1885. Century Mag., xl. 271. Fora 
time the Clays were seen and heard of, on 
the top wave of London's SMART SOCIETY. 

1889. Harper's Mag., Ixxx. 'Lit. 
Notes.' The awfully SMART boy is only 
SMART in the worst American sense of the 
word as his own family make him so. 



1889. KIPLING, Rout of the White 
Hussars. It was all the Colonel's fault 
. . . He said the regiment was not SMART 
enough. 

1889. Answers, 27 July, 141, i. He 
knew that if the manuscript got about the 
Yankees would think it a SMART thing to 
crib it. 

1891. MARRIOT-WATSON, Web of 
Spider, xxii. 'SMART he was, but he had 
a SMARTER man against him.' . . . ' Yes, 
but you don't yet realise how SMART.' 

1900. WHITE, West End, 19. Among 
the SMART SET, and under the surface, 
little is impossible. 

1901. Pall Mall Gas., 28 Nov., 2, 3. 
There can be no question that the SMART 
tradesman of to-day thrusts himself upon 
the general notice with tiresome assiduity. 

1903. The Smart Set, a Magazine oj 
Cleverness [Title]. 

See SMART-MONEY. 



SMART-MONEY, subs. phr. (old). 
i. ' Given by the King, when a 
Man in Land or Sea-Service has 
a Leg Shot or Cut off, or is dis- 
abled' (B. E. and GROSE) : hence 
(2) a fine ; and (3) vindictive 
damages : also SMART. 

SMASH, subs, (colloquial). i. Iced 
brandy and water. 

2. (common). Mashed vege- 
tables : potatoes, turnips, and the 
like (GROSE). 

1851-61, MAYHEW, Lond. Lab. The 
sweep asked him what he was going to 
have. ' A two-and-a-half plate and a 
ha'p'orth of SMASH.' 

3. (prison). Tobacco : hence 

TO SLING THE SMASH = to pass 

tobacco to a prisoner. 

Verb, (thieves'). To utter base 
coin. Hence SMASHER = ( i ) base 
coin or paper ; and (2) one who 
passes base money into circulation 
(GROSE and VAUX). Also 2. 
(common) = to give change (BEE) : 
as subs. = loose change. 



Smash. 



26; 



Smectymnus. 



1823. BEE, Diet. Turf, s.v. SMASHED 
. . . SMASHERS passers of bad money 
were so called during the pest of the old 
smooth coin. The term was soon extended 
to bad notes of the Bank of England ; and 
their occupation was called SMASHING from 
the resemblance each bore the other in 
morals. 

1834. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, ' Jerry 
Juniper's Chaunt." Readily the queer 
screens I then could SMASH. 

1840. LYTTON, Paul Clifford, xxxi. 
Stretched for SMASHING queer screens. 



1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., ir. 
488. livery coin 



1051- 
J. E. 

SMASHERS. 



was bad all 



1883. GREENWOOD, Tag, Rag, and 
Co. The individual mentioned on the 
paper was a SMASHER. 

1886. Ev. Standard, n Jan. Paper 
of a kind commonly used by SMASHERS to 
wrap up their coins, to prevent their rub- 
bing against each other. 

1887. HENLEY, Villon's Straight 
Tip, i. You pitch a snide, or SMASH a 
rag. 

2. (common). To ruinate, to 
go bankrupt : also (military) to be 
reduced or broke. As subs, (or 
SMASH-UP) = ruin, destruction, 
bankruptcy; ALL TO SMASH = 
all to pieces, completely. 

.1847. THACKERAY, Letters, 120. I 
have made an awful SMASH at the Literary 
Fund, and have tumbled into 'Evins knows 
where. 

1849. BRONTE, Shirley, ii. Your 
hellish machinery is shivered to SMASH on 
Stilboro' Moor. 

1 86 1. BRADLEY, New Rector, x. 
There isn't a fellow at school can match 
me, Miss Moore I I beat them ALL TO 
SMASH ! 

1885. D. Telegraph, 28 Dec. If it 
. . . comes to out-and-out SMASH, and 
selling up. 

1887. St. James's Gaz., 22 Jan. 
There was a final SMASH-UP of his party as 
well as of his reputation. 

1895. LE QUEUX, Temptress^, iv. 
May this SMASH bring me good luck in the 
future. Ibid., v. I tell you it is pay or 
SMASH with me. 

3. (pugilists' ). To beat badly ; 
to double up (BEE). Hence 
SMASHER = a settling blow. 



1832. EGAN, Book of Sports, s.v. 
All of a heap, and all of a lump, unmistak- 
ably doubled up by a SMASHER. 

1866. London Misc., 5 May, 202. 
Doubled you up, I mean, sir. SMASHED 
you. 

4. (old). To kick downstairs : 
e.g. , ' The chubbs toute the 
blosses, they SMASH, and make 
them brush ' = The sharpers catch 
their Mistresses on the hop, kick 
them downstairs and make them 
clear out (B. E. and GROSE). 

SMASHER, subs, (common). i. 
Anything exceptional ; a settler : 
see WHOPPER. Whence SMASH- 
ING = crushing. 

1854. FIELD, Drama at Pokerville 
[BARTLETT]. Put up your benefit for that 
night : and if you don't have a SMASHER 
. . . say I don't understand managing the 
theatres. 

2. See SMASH, verb. i. 

3. (nautical). A north country 
seaman (CLARK RUSSELL). 

SMASH - FEEDER, subs. phr. 
(thieves'). A Britannia-metal 
spoon. 

SMATTERER, subs, (colloquial). 
' One half-learned. A Smattering, 
a slight Tincture in any Skill or 
Learning' (B. E.). 

SMEAR, subs. (old). i. A plasterer 
(GROSE). 

2. (American). Food; hash; 
grub : espec. ' a society spread or 
Supper ' (BARTLETT). 

SMEAR-GELT, subs. phr. (old). A 
bribe (GROSE). 

SM ECTYM N us (obsolete). See quot. 
1721. BAILEY, Eng. Diet., s.v. 
SMECTYMNUS, A word made out of the 
first letters of the names of five presbyterian 
ministers, viz., Stephen Marshall, Edmund 
Culamy, Thomas Young, Mathew New- 
comen, and William Spurstow, who wrote 
a book against Episcopacy, and the Com- 
mon Prayer, A.D. 1641, whence they and 
their followers were called SMECTYMNIANS. 



Smeekit. 



266 Smell-powder. 



SMEEKIT, subs. (Scots). Drunk : 
see SCREWED. 

SMELL, verb, (old colloquial). To 
investigate, to search ; to NOSE 

(q.V.) : also TO SMELL OUT. 

Hence SMELLING COMMITTEE 
= an investigating committee. 
[BARTLETT : ' the phrase origi- 
nated in the examination of a 
convent in Massachusetts by 
legislative order.']. See SMELLER. 

^.1555. LATIMER, Sermons, 335. From 
that time forward I began to SMELI. the 
word of God, and forsook the school- 
doctors and such fooleries. 

1600. SHAKSPEARE, Much Ado, iii. 

2. Can you SMELL him OUT by that. 
Ibid. (1602), Twelfth Night, ii. 3. I SMELL 
a device. Ibid. (1604), Winter's Tale, iv. 

3. I SMELL the trick of it. Ibid. (1605), 
Lear, i. 5, 22. What a man cannot SMELL 
OUT he may spy into. 

1626. FLETCHER, Noble Gentleman, 
ii. i. Come, these are tricks ; I SMELL 
'em ; I will go. 

1702. STEELE, Grief-a-la-Mode, iv. 
i. I like this old fellow, I SMELL more 
money. 

PHRASEsand COLLOQUIALISMS. 
See CORK ; ELBOW-GREASE ; 
FOOTLIGHTS ; GREASE ; INK- 
HORN; LAMP; RAT; ROAST. 

SMELLER, subs, (common). i. 
The nose : see CONK (B. E. and 
GROSE): in//. = nostrils. Also 
2 (pugilists') = a blow on the 
nose ; a NOSENDER, q.v. (BEE). 

1678. COTTON, Scarronides, 64. For 
he on SMELLEKS, you must know, Receiv'd 
a sad unlucky blow. 

1840. COCKTON, Val. Vox, xxviii. 
There's a conk ! there's a SMELLER. 

1853. BRADLEY, Verdant Green . . . 
Come on, half-a-dozen of ye, and let me 
have a rap at your SMELLERS. 

1901. WALKER, In the Blood, 20. I 
tipped 'im one on the SMELLER as soon as 
'e said it. 

3. (common). In//. = a cat's 
'whiskers' (GROSE). 



4. (common). A spy ; a PAUL 
PRY (q.v.}. 

SMELL-FEAST, subs. phr. (old). 
I. A parasitic glutton ; as adj. = 
sharking for victuals. Also (2) = 
a POINT ($r.z/.)-feast. 

1599. HALL, Virgid, vi. i. 47. Nor 
now no more SMELL-FEAST Vitellio, Smiles 
on his master for a meal or two. 

1609. HOLLAND, Amm. Marcell 
[NARES], Mercurius called commonly 
captaine of SMELL-FEASTS, for that like 
unto a dogge . . . wagging his taile, he 
used to thrust himselfe often into feasts and 
companies. Ibid. These SMELL-FEAST 
parasites. 

1621. BURTON, Anat. Melan., II. 
in. viii. No SMELL-FEASTS . . . parasites, 
bawds, drunkards, whoremasters. 

1633. HARRINGTON, Epigrams. 
What manner sprite these SMELLFEASTS 
had possest. 

1648. HERRICK, Hesperides, 'Vpon 
Burr.' Burr is a SMELL-FEAST, and a 
man alone That (where meat is) will be a 
hanger on. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, i. liv. 
Fat chuffcats, SMELL-FEAST knockers, 
doltish gulls. 

^.1704. LFSTRANGE, Works [Ency. 
Diet.}. An intruder, and a common 
SMELL-FEAST that spunges upon other 
people's trenchers. 

SMELLING-CHEAT, subs. phr. (Old 
Cant). i. The nose: see CHEAT 
and SMELLER (!!ARMAN, DEK- 
KER). 2 (Old Cant) = an orchard, 
garden, or nosegay (HARMAN, 
DEKKER, B. E., BAILEY, GROSE). 

SMELL-SMOCK. See SMOCK. 

SMELLY, adv. (colloquial). Offen- 
sively odorous. 

1863. KINGSLEY, Water Babies, 186. 
Nasty, dirty, frowzy, grubby, SMELLY old 
monks. 

SMELL-POWDER, subs. phr. (old). 
A duellist (BEE). 



Smelt. 



267 



Smite. 



SMELT, subs, (old). i. A gull: 
see BUFFLE. Hence (proverbial) 
* Westward for SMELTS ! ' (old 
colloquial) = on the spree (i.e., in 
search of conies, male or female). 

<r.i6oo. Weakest to the Wall, Hi. 4. 
Now mine host rob-pot . . . gudgeon ! 
SMELT, I should say. 

1600. JONSON, Cynthia's Revels, ii. 
i. Cup. What's he, Mercury? Mer. A 
notable SMELT. 

1607. DEKKER and WEBSTER, West- 
ward Ho, iv. 2. To see how plain dealing 
women can pull down men ! Moll, you'll 
help us to catch SMELTS, too ? Ibid., ii. 3. 
But wenches, with what pullies shall we 
slide with some cleanly excuse, out of our 
husbands suspicion ; being gone WEST- 
WARD FOR SMELTS all night? 

1608. Great Frost [ARBER, Garner, 
i. 85]. Let your news be as country folk 
bring fruit to your markets, the bad and 
good together. Say, have none 'gone 
WESTWARD FOR SMELTS,' as our proverbial 
phrase is. 

1635. FLETCHER, Love's Pilgrimage, 
v. 2. Talk what you will, this is a very 

SMELT. 

2. (Old Cant). Half-a-guinea 
(B. E. and GROSE). 

1822. SCOTT, Fort. Nigel, xxiii. You 
see . . . that noble Master Grahame, 
whom you call Green, has got the decuses 
and the SMELTS. 

SMICKER, verb. (old). To look 
wantonly : as adj. amorous ; 
SMICKERING = amorous inclina- 
tion ; SMICKLY = amorously. 

1606. FORD, Fame's Memorial, 574. 
Regardful of his honour he forsook The 
SMICKER use of court humanity. Ibid. 
(1623-4), Sun's Darling, ii. i. Ray. Who 
is he that looks so SMICKLY? Fol. One 
that loves mutton so well that he always 
carries capers about with him. 

1608. Cobler of Canterburie [HALLI- 
WELL]. The smith seeing what a SMICKER 
wench the coblers wife was . . . wished 
that he could finde meanes to have such a 
one his friend. 

1.1625. LODGE, Poems, 'Coridon's 
Song' [Rept., 106]. A SMICKER boy . . . 
a SMICKER swaine ; That in his love was 
wanton faine. 



1701. DRYDEN, To Mrs. Steward, 
Let. 35. We had a young doctour, who 
... seem'd to have a SMICKERING to our 
young lady of Pilton. 

SMICKET, subs, (old). A smock or 
shift. 

1719. DURFEY, Wit and Mirth, 
. . . Touch but her SMICKET and all's 
your own. 

1820. COOMBE, Syntax, ii. 5. The 
roaring, dancing bumpkins show, And the 
white SMICKETS wave below. 

SMIGGINS, subs, (obsolete prison). 
Hulk soup. 

SMILE, subs. (American). A drink: 
as verb. = to drink, spec, in 
company : cf. SHOUT. 

1855. N.Y. Tribune, 31 Jan. The 
' crowd ' was invited into the Fifth Ward 
Hotel, and one general SMILE entirely 
absorbed the fee. 

1858. Baltimore Sun, 23 Aug. There 
are many more fast boys about some 
devoted to "the sex," some to horses, 
some to SMILING, and some to " the tiger." 

1870. Browne, Artemus Ward, His 
Book, 36, Note. ' Tods ' a shortening of 
toddy . . . Recently, however, TO SMILE 
has taken its place. 

1887. FRANCIS, Saddle and Mocassin. 
With what exquisite feeling will he 
graduate his cup from the gentle SMILE of 
early morning to the potent 'smash' of 
night. 

SMILING, To COME UP SMILING, 
verb. phr. (common). To rise 
superior to the moment. 

SMIRK, subs. (B. E. and GROSE). 
' A finical spruce Fellow. To 
SMIRK, to smile or look 
pleasantly.' 

SMISH, subs. (Old Cant). A 
chemise ; a shirt : cf. GAMES A and 
MISH (GROSE and VAUX). 

SMITE, verb. (old). To get money; 
to RUSH (q.v.) : ' Academic term ' 
(GROSE). 



Smiter. 



268 



Smock. 



SMITER, subs. (old). i. A sword. 

1591. LYLY, Endimion, i. 3. It is 
my simiter; which I by construction often 
studying to bee compendious, call my 

SMITER. 

1611. COTGRAVE, Diet., s.v. Cime- 
terre. A Scymitar, or SMVTER, a kind of 
short and crooked sword, much in use 
among the Turks. 

1633. JONSON, Tale of a. Tub, iv. 3. 
Then, Basket, put thy SMITER up, and 
hear ; I dare not tell the truth to a drawn 
sword. 

1659. Leg:. ofCapt. Jones. His fatal 
SMITER thrice aloft he shakes. 

2. (old). An arm (B. E. and 
GROSE). 

SMITHEREENS (or SMITHERS), 

subs, (common). Small frag- 
ments. ALL TO SMITHEREENS = 
all to SMASH (g.v.). 

1855. TENNYSON, Northern Cobbler, 
xviii. ' Smash the bottle to SMITHERS, the 
Divil's in 'im,' said I. 

1872. BLACK, Adv. of a Phaeton, iii. 
Knocked heaps of things to SMITHEREENS 

SMITH FIELD- BARGAIN, subs, phr. 
(old). See quots. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, 2 Hen. IV., i. 2, 
56. Page. He's gone into SMITHFIELD to 
buy your worship a horse. Falst. I bought 
him in Paul's, and he'll buy me a horse in 
SMITHFIELD ; an I could get me but a 
wife in the stews, I were manned, horsed, 
and wived. 

1621. BURTON, Anat. Melan., III. 
in. iv. 2. He that . . . buys a horse in 
SMITHFIELD . . . shall likely have a 
jade. 

1662. WILSON, Cheats, v. 5. If this 
is not better than a SMITHFIELD BARGAIN 
give me so much money, and my horse 
shall leap thy mare. 

^.1704. BROWN, Works, iii. 54. By 
the procurement of these experienc'd 
matrons, a marriage is struck up like a 
SMITHFIELD BARGAIN. There is much 
higling and wrangling for t'other ten 
pounds. 

1731. WARD, Terrcefilius, 4, 29. He 
can no more speak without breaking the 
fourth commandment than a SMITHFIELD 
jockey can sell a horse without giving the 
purchaser a lye into the BARGAIN. 



1753- RICHARDSON, Grandzson(i8i2), 
vi. 44. Women when . . . urged to give 
way to a clandestine or unequal address 
. . . are pleaded with to rise against the 
notions of bargain and sale, SMITHFIELD 
BARGAINS you Londoners call them. 

1772. GRAVES, Spir. Quixote, v. xv. 
The devil take me if I would marry an 
angel upon the footing of a mere SMITH- 
FIELD BARGAIN. 

1776. FOOTE, Bankrupt, ii. i. You 
deposit so much money, and he grants you 
such an annuity ; a mere SMITHFIELD 
BARgAiN, that is all. 

1785. GROSE, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. 
SMITHFIELD BARGAIN. A bargain whereby 
the purchaser is taken in. This is like- 
wise frequently used to express matches, 
or marriages, contracted solely on the 
score of interest, on one or both sides, 
where the fair sex are bought and sold like 
cattle in Smithfield. 

1881. DAVIES, Supp. Glossary, s.v. 
SMITHFIELD BARGAIN ... A marriage 
of interest, where money is the chief con- 
sideration : the allusion is to buying a wife 
in Smithfield. C/. BRETON, Olde Man's 
Lesson (1605), p. 7 : ' Fie on these market 
matches, where marriages are made with- 
out affection." 

SMOCK, subs. (old). A woman : 

cf. PETTICOAT, PLACKET, SKIRT, 

MUSLIN, &c. Hence, in combi- 
nation = pertaining to, or con- 
nected with women. Thus SMOCK- 
AGE = the use of the sex ; SMOCK- 
ALLEY = the female pudendum : 
see MONOSYLLABLE ; SMOCK- 
FACE = an effeminate : SMOCK- 
FACED = 'snout -fair' (B. E.), 
'fair -faced' (GROSE), smooth- 
faced ; SMOCK NIGHT -WORK 

(SERVICE, or EMPLOYMENT) = 
copulation ; SMOCK-LOYALTY = 
constancy ; SMOCK-TREASON = 
adultery ; SMOCK-SERVANT = (i) 
a mistress, and (2) a lover; SMOCK- 
AGENT = a bawd ; SMOCKSTER 

(SMOCK - MERCHANT, SMELL- 
SMOCK, or SMOCK-TEARER) = a 
whoremonger : SMELL - SMOCK 
also = the penis, and as adj. = 
wanton; SMOCK-VERMIN = a con- 
temptuous address ; SMOCK-TOY 



Smock. 



269 



Smock. 



= a fancy PIECE (g.v.), male or fe- 
male ; SMOCK-SECRET = intrigue; 
SMOCK-HOLD = tenure during a 
wife's lifetime ; SMOCK-GOVERN- 
MENT (or SMOCK-LED) petticoat 
rule; SMOCK-PENSiONER = amale 

KEEP (g.V.) : also SMOCK- 
SQUIRE ; SMOCK - HUNTING = 

whoring ; SMOCK LOOSE = wan- 
ton ; IN HER SMOCK = inti- 
mately ; SMOCK-RACE (see quot. 
1801); &c. As verb.=\.o copu- 
late (FLETCHER) : see RIDE. 

1582. STANYHURST, JEneid, iv. 222. 
Now this SMOCK-TOY Paris with berdlesse 
company wayted. 

1585. Nomenclator, 528. Mulie- 
rarius, one given to love women, a 

SMELL-SMOCKE. 

1595. SHAKSPEARE, Romeo and Ju- 
liet, ii. 4, 109. [Enter Nurse and Peter]. 
Mer. A sail, a sail ! Ben. Two, two ; a 
shirt and a SMOCK. Ibid. (1598), A IFs 
Well, ii. i, 30. I shall stay here, the fore- 
horse to a SMOCK. Ibid. (1608), Antony 
and Cleopatra, i. 2, 172. If there were no 
more women but Fulvia, then had you in- 
deed a cut, and the case to be lamented ; 
this grief is crowned with consolation ; 
your old SMOCK brings forth a new petti- 
coat. 

1599. CHAPMAN, Humorous Day's 
Mirth [SHEPHERD, Works (1874), 35]. 
He was taken learning tricks at old 
Lucilla's house, the muster-mistress of all 
the SMOCK - TEARERS in Paris. Ibid. 
(1605), A I Fooles, v. i. Some wealth with- 
out wit, some nor wit nor wealth, But good 
SMOCK-FACES. Ibid. (1612), Widow's 
Tears [SHEPHERD, Works (1874), 314]. 
Shalt hold thy tenement, to thee and 
thine heers for ever, in free SMOCKAGE, as 
of the manner of panderage. 

1611. JONSON, Cataline, iv. 5. Sent. 
There are of us can be as exquisite 
traitors As e'er a male conspirator of you 
all. Get. Ay, at SMOCK-TREASON, matron, 
I believe you. Ibid. (1632), Magnetic 
Lady, iv. 2. Keep these women matters 
SMOCK-SECRETS to ourselves. 

1611. COTGRAVE, Diet. s.v. Brigaille. 
A noteable SMELSMOCKE, or mutton- 
mungar, a cunning solicitor of a wenche. 

1624. MASSINGER, Renegado, ii. i. 
'Tis but procuring a SMOCK-EMPLOYMENT. 
Ibid. (1632), Maid of Honour, ii. 2. You 
are not the man ; much less employ'd by 
him As a SMOCK-AGENT to me. Ibid. iii. 



i. Peace, thou SMOCK-VERMIN ! Ibid. 
(1637), Guardian, iii. 5. Now I think I 
had ever a lucky hand in such SMOCK 

NIGHT-WORK. 

[ ? 1. Cat. of Books of the Newest 
Fashion [Harl. Misc., v. 287]. SMOCK- 
PECK'D S . 

1630. TAYLOR, Works, ii. 167. This 
theame of SMOCKE is very large and wide 
. . . But I thinke best a speedy end to 
make, Lest for a SMELSMOCKE some should 
me mistake. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, i. xi. 
And some of the . . . women would give 
these names, my Roger . . . SMELL-SMOCK 
. . . lusty live sausage. 

1657. MIDDLETON, More Dissem- 
blers, &>c., i. 4. Jf thou dost not prove as 
arrant a SMELL-SMOCK as any the town 
affords in a term time I'll lose my judge- 
ment. 

1663. Unfortunate Usurper \W&K$&\. 
SMELL-SMOCK Sardanapalus would have 
given The moiety of his kingdom to be his 
pupil. 

1680. DRYDEN, Spanish Priar, ii. i. 
Plague ... on his SMOCK-LOYALTY. 
Ibid. (1692), Juvenal, x. 491. Young 
Endymion, your smooth SMOCK-FAC'D boy. 

d.ijo^. BROWN, Works, ii. 123. I was 
a smart child, and a SMOCK-FAC'D youth. 

1706. WARD, Wooden World, 69. If 
ever he's troubled with Dreams . . . then 
truly he oft fancies himself a mauling off 
the Roast-meat in SMOCK-ALLEY. Ibid. 
(1709), Works, i. 173. Skilful SMOCK- 
STERS . . . Tell us that Love's a drowthy 
exercise. 

1746. Poor Robin. A whoremaster 
hath a SMELL-SMOCK nose which for the 
most part in process of time proves bridge- 
fallen. 

1801. STRUTT, Sports and Pastimes, 
476. SMOCK RACES are commonly per- 
formed by the young country wenches, 
and so-called because the prize is a holland 
SMOCK, or shirt, usually decorated with 
ribbands. 

1809. MALKIN, Gil Bias [ROUT- 
LEDGE], 136. Pacheco did not know what 
to make of so SMOCK-FACED a young 
spark. 

1879. LECKY, English in i8th Cent., 
iv. Among other amusements SMOCK- 
RACING by women was kept up there [Pall 
Mall] till 1733. 

S 



Smoke. 



270 



Smoke. 



SMOKE, subs. (old). i. A chimney. 
Hence (modern) THE SMOKE = 
any large city : spec. London : 

also THE GREAT SMOKE. 

<f.i687. PETTY, PoL Surv. of Ireland, 
9. Dublin hath Houses of more than one 
SMOAK. 

2. (common). A cigar: also 
the act of smoking. DRY-SMOKE 
= an unlighted cigar or pipe 
between the lips. 

1860. RUSSELL, Diary in India, 
xxvii. Soldiers . . . lounging about, 
taking an early morning SMOKE. 

c.i88s[?]. JENNY HILL, "Arry.' 'Arry 
likes a twopenny SMOKE. 

3. (colloquial). Idle talk ; 
vanity ; anything of little or no 
value. To END IN SMOKE = to 
serve or come to no useful end. 

1594. SHAKSPEARE, Lucreece, 1027. 
This helpless SMOKE of words doth me no 
right. 

1603-15. Court and Times ofjas. /., 
291. [A project] GOES AWAY IN SMOKE. 

Verb. (old). I. To examine ; to 
suspect ; to observe ; to discover ; 
to understand ; TO TWIG (q.v.): 
cf. SMELL, NOSE, &c. Whence 
SMOKY = (i) suspicious, inquisi- 
tive; and (2) = jealous (B. E., 
GROSE, BEE). 

1280. Ancren Riivle, 316. Schrift 
get schal beon naked ; thet is naked liche 
imaked, and nout bisaumpled feire, ne 
hendeliche ISMOKED. [Confession must 
be naked, that is made nakedly, not spe- 
ciously palliated, nor gently touched on.] 

1596. JONSON, Ev. Man in His 
Hum., iv. 8. I'faith, I am glad I have 
SMOKED you yet at last. Ibid. (1622), 
Masque of AugursjiWorks}(M.oxoK), 230. 
Sir, we do come from among the brew- 
houses, . . . that's true, there you have 

SMOKED US. 

1598. SHAKSPEARE, Airs Well, Hi. 6. 
He was first SMOKED by the old Lord 
Lafew when his disguise and he is parted, 
tell me what a sprat you shall find him. 

1607. DEKKER, Jests, &c. [GROSART, 
Works, ii. 329]. Kinchen, the coue towres, 
which is as much as, Fellow, the man 



SMOKES or suspects you. Ibid. (1620), 
Lauthorne, &c. The two freebooters, 
seeing themselves SMOAK'D. 

1611. MIDDLETON and DEKKER, 
Roaring Girl [Works] (1873), in. 220. 
Wee are SMOAKT . . . wee are boyld, pox 
on her ! 

1614. CHAPMAN, Odysseys, iv. 337. 
And yet through all this difference, I alone 
SMOKED his true person. 

1624. MASSINGER, Renegado, iv. i. 
All's come out, sir. We are SMOK'D for 
being; coney-catchers. Ibid. (1659), City 
Madam, iii. i. I'll hang you both . . . 
you for a purse you cut In Paul's at a ser- 
mon ; I have SMOAKED you, ha ! 

^.1650. BRATHWAYTE, Barnaby's Jl. 
(1723), 21. An apt one . . . Punk unto a 
Captain ; I embrac'd . . . But Door 
creak'd and Captain SMOAK'T IT. 

1693. CONGREVE, Old Bach., iii. 6. 
I begin to SMOKE ye : thou art some for- 
saken Abigail. Ibid. (1694), Double 
Dealer, iii. 3. Should she SMOKE my 
design upon Cynthia I were in a fine 
pickle. 

1705. VANBRUGH, Confederacy, iii. 
I'm thinking hum she'll SMOKE that 
though. laid. (1726), VANBRUGH and 
GIBBER, Prov. Husband, ii. He seems a 
little SMOKY. 

1708-10. SWIFT, Pol. Conv. i. Pray, 
madam, SMOKE miss yonder, biting her 
lips, and playing with her fan. 

1715. ADDISON, Drummer, iii. i. 
Thou rt very smart, my dear. But see ! 
SMOKE the doctor. 

1715-16. ADDISON, Freeholder [Ency. }. 
I began to SMOKE that they were a parcel 
of mummers. 

1733. SWIFT, Ans. to Sheridan's 
New Simile. With which he made a 
tearing show ; And Dido quickly SMOK'D 
the beau. 

1753. FOOTE, Eng. in Paris, i. i. 
A SMOAKY fellow this classic. Ibid. (1762), 
The Liar, i. i. People in this town are 
more SMOAKY and suspicious. 

1772. BRIDGES, Burlesque Homer, 
75. The witch of Endor, Soon SMOK'D th' 
affair, and like a prophet, Got up and told 
the meaning of it. 

1774. KELLY, School for Wives, iii. 
5. Who the devil could think that he 
would SMOKE us in this disguise. 

^.1859. DE QUINCEY, Works, xi. 86. 
The orator grew urgent ; wits began to 
SMOKE the case, as active verbs the advo- 
cate to smoke, as a neuter verb. 



Smoke. 



271 



Smotheration. 



1877. Five Years Penal Serv., iii. 
He stayed in a place doing the grand, and 
sucking the flats, till the folks began to 
SMOKE him as not 'all there.' 

1900. SAVAGE, Brought to Bay, 
The secret reports of the head porter 
proved that no one could SMOKE OUT the 
aristocratic invalid. 

2. (school). To blush. 

3. (old). To ridicule ; TO 
QUIZ (^.z;.). Whence SMOKER = 
a mocker, a practical joker ; 
SMOKING = bantering. 

1698-1700. WARD, Land. Spy, ix. 
197. We SMOAK'D the Beaus almost as 
bad as unlucky schoolboys us'd to do the 
coblers, till they sneak'd off one by one. 

1700. CONGREVE, Way of World, iii. 
15. This is a vile dog ; I see that already. 
No offence ! ... to him, Petulant, SMOKE 
him. 

1782. BURNEY, Cecilia, vi. n. You 
never laugh at the old folks, and never fly 
at your servants, nor SMOKE people before 
their faces. 

1814. COLMAN, Poet Vagaries, 150. 
These quizzers, queerers, SMOKERS. 

d. 1840. D'ARBLAY, Diary (1842), ii. 69. 
What a SMOKING did Miss Burney give 
Mr. Crutchley. 

4. (B. E.). 'To affront a 
Stranger at his coming in.' 

5. (venery). To copulate 
(FLETCHER) : see RIDE. 



6. (old). To raise a dust by 
beating : cf. TO DUST ONE'S 
JACKET. 

1596. SHAKSPEARE, K. John, ii. i, 
139. I'll SMOKE your skin-coat, an I catch 
you right. 

7. (Australian). To decamp: 
see ABSQUATULATE. 

1893. Sydney M. Herald, 26 June, 
8, 8. He said to the larrikins, . . . ' You 
have killed him. 1 'What!' said one of 
them, ' do not say we were here. Let us 



PHRASES. LIKE SMOKE = 
rapidly : see LIKE ; ALL SMOKE, 

GAMMON, AND SPINACH = all 

nothing ; ' No SMOKE, but there's 
fire ' (or ' Where there's SMOKE 
there's fire ') ' of a thing that will 
out' (B. E.). See KNOCK; 
PIPE; TAKE. 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab.) in. 
105. Taking money LIKE SMOKE. 

SMOKER (or SMOKE-SHELL), subs. 
(common). I. A chamber-pot: 
see IT. 

2. (B. E.). 'A Vessel to 
Blind the Enemies, to make way 
for the Machine to play. 

3. (colloquial). A smoking- 
carriage : see SMOKE 3. Also 4. 
(old) = a tobacconist (B. E. and 
GROSE). 

5. (old). 6"<?<?quot. 

1847. HALLIWELL, Arch. Words, s.v. 
SMOKER. At Preston, before the passing 
of the Reform Bill in 1832, every person 
who had a cottage with a chimney and 
used the latter, had a vote, and was called 
a SMOKER. 

SMOKE-STACK, subs. phr. (nauti- 
cal). A steam-boat. 

1902. Athenceum, 8 Feb., 177, i. 
The author shows the proper sailor-man's 
contempt for SMOKE-STACKS, and to this 
day would sooner travel in a " wind- 
jammer " than a P. & O. boat or one of 
his readers is mistaken. 

SMOOTH, subs. (American). A 
meadow ; a grass-plot ; a lawn. 

1870. JUDD, Margaret, i. 2. Get 
and dandelion 



some plantain 
SMOOTH for greens. 



on the 



SMOOTHER, subs. (old). See quot. 

1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, in. iii. 
My claw-backs, my SMOOTHERS, my para- 
sites. 

SMOTHERATION, subs. (American). 
i. Suffocation. 



Smouch. 



272 



Smug. 



2. (American). A dish (pork 
or beef) smothered with potatoes 
\cf. SMOTHER, an old cookery 
term * rabbits SMOTHERED in 
onions ']. 

SMOUCH, subs. (old). i. A low- 
crowned hat (HALLIWELL). 

2. See SMOUS. 

Verb, (old). I. To kiss : as 
subs, (or SMOUCHER) = a kiss. 

1578. WHETSTONE, Promos and 
Cassandra, 47. Come, smack me ; I long 
for a SMOUCH. 

1583. STUBBES, Anat. Abuses, 114. 
What bussing, what SMOUCHING, and 
slabbering one of another. 

1600. Weakest to Wall, i. 3. You 
will love me, SMOUCH me, be my secret 
vriend. 

1600. HEYWOOD, / Ed. IV. [PEAR- 
SON, Works (1874), i. 40]. I had rather 
than a bend of leather, Shee and I might 
SMOUCH together. 

1606. Ret. from Parnassus. Why 
how now pedant Phoebus, are you 
SMOUTCHING Thalia on her tender lips ? 

2. (old). To chouse ; to 
trick; to take an unfair advan- 
tage. 

SMOUS (or SMOUCH), subs. (old). 
A Jew (GROSE). Also (2) a 
sharper. 

1705. B o s M A N, Description of 
Guinea, Letter XL As impertenant and 
noisy as the SMOUSE or German Jews at 
their synagogue at Amsterdam. 

1760. JOHNSTON, Chrysal, \. 228. I 
saw them roast some poor SMOUCHES at 
Lisbon because they would not eat pork. 

1764. C. MACKLIN, Man of the 
World, ii. i. Ha, ha, ha ! ... I honour 
the SMOUSE. 

1837. BARHAM, Ingolds. Leg:, ' Mer. 
of Venice.' You find fault mit ma par- 
gains, and say I'm a SMOUCH. 



SNOUTING, subs, (old printers'). 
See quot: now GRASSING (q.v.). 



1688. R. HOLME, Academy, &>c. 
Workmen, when they are out of constant 
work, sometimes accept of a day or two's 
work or a week's work at another printing 
house ; this by-work they call SMOUTING. 

SMOUZE, verb. (American). 'To 
demolish ; as with a blow' (BART- 
LETT). 

SMUG, subs. (old). i. A black- 
smith (B. E. and GROSE). 

1611. ROWLAND, Knave of Clubs. A 
SMUG of Vulcan's forging trade. 

1629. DEKKER, Londons Tempe. I 
must now A golden handle make for my 
wife's fann, Worke, my fine SMUGGES. 

1709. WARD, Works, i. 133. You're 
an impudent slut, cries the SMUG at his 
bellows. 

2. (common). An affectedly 
proper or self-satisfied person. 
Hence as adj. (B. E. and GROSE : 
now accepted) = ' Neat and 
spruce.' 

3. (school and university). See 
quot. As verb. =to work hard. 

1888. GOSCHEN, Speech at Aberdeen, 
3t Jan. The heinous offence of being 
absorbed in it [work]. Schools and Colleges 
. . . have invented . . . phrases, semi- 
classical, or wholly vernacular, such as 
' sap,' ' SMUG,' ' swot,' ' bloke,' ' amugster.' 

1889. Lancet, n. 471. Students . . . 
continually at study . . . absent-minded 
. . . often offended at . . . a joke. They 
become labelled SMUGS and are avoided by 
their class-mates. 

Verb, (common). I. To pilfer; 
to snatch : in quot. 1633 = to 
sneak into favour. Hence SMUG- 
GINGS (see quot. 1847). SMUG- 
LAY (old thieves'), see quots. 
c. 1696 and 1785: also SMUGGLER. 

.1633. FLETCHER [HALLIWELL]. Thou 
mayst succeed Ganymede in his place, And 
unsuspected SMUG the Thund'rers face. O 
happy she shall climbe thy tender bed, And 
make thee man first for a maidenhead. 

.1696. B. E., Diet. Cant. Crew, s.v. 
SMUG-LAV. Those that Cheat the King of 
his Customs by private Imports and Ex- 
ports. 



Smuggle. 



273 



Snabble. 



1785. GROSE, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. 
SMUG-LAY. Persons who pretend to be 
smugglers of lace and valuable articles ; 
these men borrow money of publicans by 
depositing these goods in their hands ; they 
shortly afterwards decamp, and the publi- 
can discovers too late that he has been 
duped, and on opening the pretended 
treasure he finds trifling articles of no 
value. 

1847. HALLIWELL, Arch. Words, s.v. 
SMUGGING. Games had . . . times or 
seasons . . . when any game was out, as 
it was termed, it was lawful to steal the 
thing played with . . . ' Tops are in, spin 
'em again ; Tops are out, SMUGGING'S 
about.' 

1851-61. MAYHEW, Land. Lab., n. 
508. I shouldn't mind his licking me ; I'd 
SMUG his money, and get his halfpence, or 
somethink. Ibid. After that he used
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Full text of "Slang and its analogues past and present. A dictionary, historical and comparative of the heterodox speech of all classes of society for more than three hundred years. With synonyms in English, French, German, Italian, etc"

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